Flammable liquids in non-flammable products as potential interferences in the determination of ignitable liquid residues in fire debris

IF 2.6 3区医学 Q2 CHEMISTRY, ANALYTICAL

Forensic Chemistry Pub Date : 2025-01-08 DOI:10.1016/j.forc.2025.100639

Chaney A. Ganninger , Gabriel M. Walkup , Sierra M. Fleegle , Glen P. Jackson

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Abstract

The clothing of suspected arsonists is often analyzed for the presence of ignitable liquids. Personal care products (PCPs) are ubiquitous in our society and can contaminate clothing, so their potential interference is an important consideration in the interpretation of casework samples. Thirty-two samples of various hygiene products and hand cleaners were analyzed using headspace concentration-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Despite occasionally containing one or two hydrocarbon compounds found in ignitable liquids, all the antiperspirants and deodorants were readily distinguished from ignitable liquids because they lacked any of the key diagnostic features of ignitable liquids in their extracted ion profiles (EIPs). Two samples labeled as hand cleaners displayed characteristic patterns of heavy petroleum distillates, which, if found on a suspect’s clothing, could cause the misleading assumption that the source of the liquid was flammable. However, the petroleum distillates in these two hand-cleaning products were not flammable, according to both their packaging and safety data sheets, because they were formulated as emulsions with water. This study also includes a casework example of a heavy petroleum distillate in a fire debris sample. However, the co-presence of abundant fatty acid methyl esters increased the probability that the original source was either a biodiesel blend or a non-flammable formulation product and therefore raises reasonable doubt about the flammability of the original product. The results of this work are limited by the GC/MS method, which could not detect volatiles like acetone, propanol, and ethanol eluting before a retention index of 700 nor non-volatile emulsifiers/surfactants.

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来源期刊

Forensic Chemistry CHEMISTRY, ANALYTICAL-

CiteScore

5.70

自引率

14.80%

发文量

审稿时长

46 days

期刊介绍： Forensic Chemistry publishes high quality manuscripts focusing on the theory, research and application of any chemical science to forensic analysis. The scope of the journal includes fundamental advancements that result in a better understanding of the evidentiary significance derived from the physical and chemical analysis of materials. The scope of Forensic Chemistry will also include the application and or development of any molecular and atomic spectrochemical technique, electrochemical techniques, sensors, surface characterization techniques, mass spectrometry, nuclear magnetic resonance, chemometrics and statistics, and separation sciences (e.g. chromatography) that provide insight into the forensic analysis of materials. Evidential topics of interest to the journal include, but are not limited to, fingerprint analysis, drug analysis, ignitable liquid residue analysis, explosives detection and analysis, the characterization and comparison of trace evidence (glass, fibers, paints and polymers, tapes, soils and other materials), ink and paper analysis, gunshot residue analysis, synthetic pathways for drugs, toxicology and the analysis and chemistry associated with the components of fingermarks. The journal is particularly interested in receiving manuscripts that report advances in the forensic interpretation of chemical evidence. Technology Readiness Level: When submitting an article to Forensic Chemistry, all authors will be asked to self-assign a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) to their article. The purpose of the TRL system is to help readers understand the level of maturity of an idea or method, to help track the evolution of readiness of a given technique or method, and to help filter published articles by the expected ease of implementation in an operation setting within a crime lab.