51. Addressing forensic science challenges with nuclear analytical techniques - A review.
- Author
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Simon A, Barradas NP, Jeynes C, and Romolo FS
- Subjects
- Humans, Neutron Activation Analysis, Substance Abuse Detection methods, Forensic Sciences methods, Mass Spectrometry methods
- Abstract
We review the application of Nuclear Analytical Techniques (NATs) to forensic problems for the first time. NATs include neutron activation analysis (NAA), carried out in nuclear reactors for elemental analysis; accelerator-based techniques, mainly Ion Beam Analysis (IBA) for elemental and molecular analysis; and Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) for dating of traces of forensic interest by "radiocarbon dating" and other related methods. Applications include analysis of drugs of abuse, food fraud, counterfeit medicine, gunshot residue, glass fragments, forgery of art objects and documents, and human material. In some applications only the NATs are able to provide relevant information for forensic purposes. This review not only includes a wide collection of forensic applications, but also illustrates the wide availability worldwide of NATs, opening up opportunities for an increased use of NATs in routine forensic casework., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)
- Published
- 2024
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