Soil science, forensic

The use of DRIFTS for the characterization of surfaces has to date been limited, but has recently been used for applications in fields as diverse as sensors development [12], soils science [13], forensic chemistry [14], corrosion [15], wood science [16] and art [F7]. Given that there is in general no reason for preferring transmission over difilise reflectance in the study of high-area powder systems, DRIFTS is likely to become much more popular in the near fiiture. 

Nature of Soils Relevant to Forensic Soil Science and Human... 

Forensic soil science is a relatively new activity that is strongly method oriented because it is mostly a technique-driven activity in the multidisciplinary areas of pedology, geochemistry, mineralogy, molecular biology, geophysics, archaeology, and forensic science. Consequently, it does not have an overabundance of past practitioners such as in the older disciplines like physics and chemistry. 

X-ray diffraction (XRD) methods are arguably the most significant for both qualitative and quantitative analyses of solid materials in forensic soil science. Extremely minute sample quantities or tiny sample areas as well as large quantities can be successfully analyzed using XRD. The critical... 

Fitzpatrick R. W Raven M and McLaughlin M. J. (2006, May). Forensic soil science An overview with reference to case investigations and challenges, in Proceedings of the First International Workshop on Criminal and Environmental Forensics (R. W. Fitzpatrick, Ed.). Perth, http //www.clw.csiro.au/cafss/. 

Sources Adapted from Gill-King, H., in Forensic Taphonomy—The Postmortem Fate of Human Remains (W. D. Haglund and M. H. Sorg, Eds.), Boca Raton, FL CRC Press, 93-108, 1997 and Trick, J. K., Williams, G. M., Noy, D. J., Moore, Y., and Reeder, S., Paper presented at the British Society of Soil Science/Society for Environmental Geochemistry and Health joint meeting on Soil, Environment and Health at the University of Birmingham Medical School, April 6-7, 2000 (with permission). 

One crucial component of the forensic application of soil science is the development of a set of reference soils and databases, which would enable the estimation of the probability of obtaining accurate soil comparisons. 

Bruce R. G. and Dettmann, M. E. (1996). Palynological analyses of Australian surface soils and their potential in forensic science. Forensic Sci. Int. 81, 77-94. 

Daugherty, L. A. (1997). Soil science contribution to an airplane crash investigation, Ruidoso, New Mexico. J. Forensic Sci. 42,401-405. 

Lichtfouse, E. (2000). Compound-specific isotope analysis, application to archael-ogy, biomedical sciences, biosynthesis, environment, extraterrestrial chemistry, food science, forensic science, humic substances, microbiology, organic geochemistry, soil science and sport. Rapid Commun. Mass Spectrom. 14, 1337-1344. 

We believe this book is timely, as soils are receiving increased attention as physical evidence. Thus far, the twenty-first century has seen an increase of peer-reviewed publications related to soils and forensic science of at least... 

Centre for Australian Forensic Soil Science/CSIRO Land and Water Glen Osmond, South Australia Australia... 

The development of GC coupled via a combustion furnace to an IRMS (GC-C-IRMS) has allowed the analysis of individual compounds occurring at trace levels in very complex mixtures. Sometimes referred to as compound specific isotope analysis or isotope ratio monitoring MS (GC-irmMS), this technique has opened new fields of research in areas such as organic geochemistry, food science, medicine, nutrition, sport, forensic science, archaeology, soil science, and extraterrestrial science. The chromatographic separation in connection with the combustion of the analyte, however, exerts the strongest influence on the uncertainty of the measurement. Multidimensional GC (GC/GC) has also been coupled to IRMS for the authentication of flavor components. 

Analytical pyrolysis has been used successfiilly in many disciplines such as polymer chemistry, organic geochemistry, soil chemistry, forensic sciences, food science, environmental studies, microbiology, and extraterrestrial studies involving meteorites and lunar samples. A large number of organic substances found in nature are unsuitable for direct analysis by modern techniques such as column chromatography and mass spectrometry. This may be due to their complex structure and polar and nonvolatile character. 

Samples for analysis can come from products of vegetable or animal origin (milk, meat), water, air (ashes emitted by an incinerator) or soils in which elements are present over a wide range of concentrations (from manure spreading on agricultural land to industrial sludge). This method also has applications in the area of forensic sciences and clinical medicine (tissue analysis or biological fluids). 

The major question posed now is how can soils be used to make accurate forensic comparisons when we know that soils are highly complex and that there are thousands of different soil types in existence For example, according to the USDA, which collects soil data at many different scales, there are more than 50,000 different varieties of soil in the United States alone. Parent material, climate, organisms, and the amount of time it takes for these properties to interact will vary worldwide. First of all, soil samples must be carefully collected and handled at the crime scene and then compared by a soil scientist with forensic science experience to ensure that the soil samples can be useful during an investigation. 

Hopkins, D. W Wiltshire, P. E. J., and Turner, B. D. (2000). Microbial characteristics of soils from graves An investigation at the interface of soil microbiology and forensic science. Appl. Soil Ecol. 14, 283-288. 

The lead contents of 206 soil samples determined by AAS indicated that such determination provides a useful parameter for soil comparison and discrimination in forensic science (Chaperlin 1981). Soil investigations near a former smelter in Colorado revealed that historic use of arsenical pesticides has contributed significantly to anthropogenic background concentrations of arsenic on certain residential properties. A variety of forensic techniques including spatial analysis, arsenic speciation and calculation of metal ratios were successful in the separation of smelter impacts from pesticide impacts (Folkes, Kuehster, and Litle 2001). 

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