Chemical Differentiation of Osseous, Dental, and Non-skeletal Materials in Forensic Anthropology using Elemental Analysis

    Authors

    Sci. Justice

    Comments

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    Abbreviated Journal Title

    Compos. Pt. B-Eng.

    Keywords

    Forensic anthropology; Chemical differentiation; Elemental analysis; Osseous and non-osseous materials; INDUCED BREAKDOWN SPECTROSCOPY; X-RAY-FLUORESCENCE; TRACE-ELEMENTS; MONOCLONAL-ANTIBODIES; CHEMOMETRIC METHODS; RAMAN-SPECTROSCOPY; BONE-COMPOSITION; ANCIENT BONE; ALBUMIN; DNA; Medicine, Legal; Pathology

    Abstract

    Forensic anthropologists are generally able to identify skeletal materials (bone and tooth) using gross anatomical features; however, highly fragmented or taphonomically altered materials may be problematic to identify. Several chemical analysis techniques have been shown to be reliable laboratory methods that can be used to determine if questionable fragments are osseous, dental, or non-skeletal in nature. The purpose of this review is to provide a detailed background of chemical analysis techniques focusing on elemental compositions that have been assessed for use in differentiating osseous, dental, and non-skeletal materials. More recently, chemical analysis studies have also focused on using the elemental composition of osseous/dental materials to evaluate species and provide individual discrimination, but have generally been successful only in small, closed groups, limiting their use forensically. Despite significant advances incorporating a variety of instruments, including handheld devices, further research is necessary to address issues in standardization, error rates, and sample size/diversity. (C) 2014 Forensic Science Society. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

    Subjects

    H. A. Zimmerman; C. J. Meizel-Lambert; J. J. Schultz;M. E. Sigman

    Volume

    55

    Issue/Number

    2

    Publication Date

    1-1-2014

    Document Type

    Review

    Language

    English

    First Page

    131

    Last Page

    138

    WOS Identifier

    WOS:000351803200008

    ISSN

    1355-0306

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