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Biodegradable plastics and their impact on fingermark detection methods.

Harrison Woodward1, Sébastien Moret2, Scott Chadwick1

  • 1University of Technology Sydney, Centre for Forensic Science, Broadway, NSW 2007, Australia.

Forensic Science International
|January 26, 2023
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Forensic scientists found that single metal deposition (SMD) is the most effective method for developing latent fingermarks on biodegradable plastics. This research provides crucial recommendations for improving fingermark recovery from these emerging materials.

Keywords:
Compostable plasticCyanoacrylatePowder suspensionSingle metal depositionTechnique efficiencyVacuum metal deposition

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Area of Science:

  • Forensic Science
  • Materials Science

Background:

  • Plastics are common in crime scenes, and fingermark detection is crucial for forensic investigations.
  • Emerging biodegradable plastics have different properties that may affect traditional fingermark development techniques.
  • Substrate-dependent detection methods necessitate evaluating current procedures on new materials.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the effectiveness of various fingermark detection techniques on biodegradable plastics.
  • To identify the optimal method for developing latent fingermarks on these alternative substrates.
  • To provide recommendations for forensic practitioners working with biodegradable plastics.

Main Methods:

  • Evaluated the prevalence of biodegradable plastics in the Australian market.
  • Categorized over 40 plastic types using consumer data and ATR-FTIR spectroscopy.
  • Tested four fingermark development techniques (cyanoacrylate fuming, vacuum metal deposition, powder suspensions, single metal deposition) on selected plastic substrates.

Main Results:

  • Single metal deposition (SMD) demonstrated the most consistent fingermark development across all tested substrates.
  • Vacuum metal deposition (VMD) performed well on polyethylene-based plastics but poorly on alternative biodegradable plastics.
  • Cyanoacrylate fuming and powder suspensions showed significant dependence on surface texture.

Conclusions:

  • Biodegradable plastics significantly impact the efficacy of traditional fingermark development techniques.
  • Single metal deposition (SMD) is recommended as the preferred method for developing fingermarks on biodegradable plastics.
  • Findings will aid operational contexts in enhancing latent fingermark recovery from these novel materials.