Advances in the use of odour as forensic evidence through optimizing and standardizing instruments and canines - PubMed (original) (raw)

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Advances in the use of odour as forensic evidence through optimizing and standardizing instruments and canines

Kenneth G Furton et al. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2015.

Abstract

This paper explores the advances made in identifying trace amounts of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that originate from forensic specimens, such as drugs, explosives, live human scent and the scent of death, as well as the probative value for detecting such odours. The ability to locate and identify the VOCs liberated from or left by forensic substances is of increasing importance to criminal investigations as it can indicate the presence of contraband and/or associate an individual to a particular location or object. Although instruments have improved significantly in recent decades-with sensitivities now rivalling that of biological detectors-it is widely recognized that canines are generally still more superior for the detection of odourants due to their speed, versatility, ruggedness and discriminating power. Through advancements in the detection of VOCs, as well as increased standardization efforts for instruments and canines, the reliability of odour as evidence has continuously improved and is likely to continue to do so. Moreover, several legal cases in which this novel form of evidence has been accepted into US courts of law are discussed. As the development and implementation of best practice guidelines for canines and instruments increase, their reliability in detecting VOCs of interest should continue to improve, expanding the use of odour as an acceptable form of forensic evidence.

Keywords: detection canines; drugs; explosives; forensic science; human remains; human scent.

© 2015 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.

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Figures

Figure 1.

Figure 1.

Reported improvement in instrument sensitivity over time. (Online version in colour.)

Figure 2.

Figure 2.

Diagram showing various electronic and biological sensors [10]. (Online version in colour.)

Figure 3.

Figure 3.

Common VOCs detected from drugs, explosives and live humans, as well as those who are deceased. (Online version in colour.)

Figure 4.

Figure 4.

Diagram showing the amount of cocaine and methyl benzoate found on or released from currency demonstrated to elicit positive responses from drug detection canines. (Online version in colour.)

Figure 5.

Figure 5.

Distribution of the VOCs released from snapdragon flowers evaluated [28]. (Online version in colour.)

Figure 6.

Figure 6.

(a) Headspace SPME extraction of explosives at different fibre settings/placements, (b) the common odourant 2,4-dinitrotoluene (DNT) from single based smokeless powder (SP) and 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT). (Online version in colour.)

Figure 7.

Figure 7.

Non-contact sampling devices used to collect odour. (a) STU-100 and (b) human scent collection system (HSCS). (Online version in colour.)

Figure 8.

Figure 8.

The type and relative ratio of the VOCs present in the scent samples collected from co-habiting (a) identical and (b) fraternal twins. Adapted with permission from Hudson [52]. (Online version in colour.)

Figure 9.

Figure 9.

Survivability of human scent after detonation of a peroxide-based explosive, as well as improvised explosive device (IED) [53]. (Online version in colour.)

Figure 10.

Figure 10.

Principal components analysis showing the correlation of the VOCs liberated from decomposing human cadaver analogues at different stages of decay. Reprinted with permission from Caraballo [60]. (Online version in colour.)

Figure 11.

Figure 11.

Required properties of a universal detector calibrant [40]. (Online version in colour.)

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