Advances in Fingerprint Technology.pdf

Subsequent studies conducted at the ORNL yielded some unusual
results. 114 Nicotine was detected in some of the adult samples. Although
initially dismissed as environmental contamination caused by handling
tobacco products or exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke, a subsequent
analysis of a sample obtained from an individual who had quit smoking
several weeks before (but had been chewing nicotine gum) showed traces of
nicotine. While unexpected, this result is not unprecedented. Robinson et al.
reported the presence of nicotine, as well as morphine and alcohol, in sweat
in 1954. 115 Traces of steroids were also observed in some of the fingerprint
samples. ORNL plans to direct future efforts toward the ability to detect trace
amounts of special target compounds (e.g., illegal drugs and their metabolites)
in latent print residues to provide investigative leads for law enforcement
purposes. If successful, such noninvasive methods could potentially eliminate
the need to obtain biologically hazardous samples such as blood or urine.
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
With funding obtained from the Technical Support Working Group (TSWG
is an interagency working group that funds counter terrorism projects), the
U.S. Secret Service (USSS) teamed up with the Pacific Northwest National
Laboratory (PNNL) to conduct a research project to investigate the composition
of latent print residue. The most critical aspect of this project was to
investigate how latent print residue changes over a period of time. Fingerprint
samples from 79 volunteers, ranging in age from 3 to 60 years old, were
analyzed. Volunteers placed fingerprints on filter paper samples. The samples
were then stored at ambient conditions before being extracted. After derivatization,
the samples were analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry.
The results of this study were in agreement with the data obtained at the
ORNL. 116 Several samples analyzed appeared to be contaminated by external
sources of lipids, such as hand lotions, cosmetics, and soaps. Removing all
traces of these contaminants proved difficult. The data obtained from the
aging of fingerprint residues were also reported. As expected, most of the
unsaturated lipids (e.g., squalene and fatty acids such as oleic and palmitoleic)
tended to diminish substantially within the 30-day period, with significant
losses during the first week noted. Since lipids like squalene and oleic acid
are liquid at room temperature, they provide an environment suitable for
partitioning of certain lipid-specific visualization reagents. Once they have
been modified and the majority of the water content of the print has evaporated,
the print dries out and is no longer amenable to lipid partitioning
reagents. For example, reagents like Nile red, which partition into the lipid
layer, are generally ineffective on prints more than a few days old.