Crime Scene and Evidence

The Forensic and Investigative Science Research Group found paraffin and paraffin free skin care products pose a serious fire risk when soaked into clothing.

Dr Sarah Hall and Joanne Morrissey, from our School of Life Sciences, are working with West Yorkshire and Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service (FRS), the London Fire Brigade, St Andrews Centre for Plastic Surgery and Burns, and the National Fire Chiefs Council. They’re also expert panel members and part of a stakeholder group for the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), which supports the Commission on Human Medicines, to raise awareness of safety issues with emollients, embedding regulatory measures and monitoring the impact.

This research has also changed the remit on the safety of lower paraffin content and paraffin free emollients. Their initial study, 'The flammability of textiles when contaminated with paraffin base products', published in the Fire Safety Journal was praised as an important contribution to fire safety and science highlighting a significant problem in the healthcare community. They presented recent results on fatal fire investigations with West Yorkshire FRS at the annual UK Arson and Fire Investigators conference on the investigation, reporting and recording of skin product fires.

Using a standard method for vertical burns, with a nondirect flame (7cm from bottom of fabric) ignition time was significantly reduced when 100% cotton or polyester/cotton mix sheeting was contaminated with various skin care products. E.g. 100% cotton ignites in approx. 60 secs. When imbued with emollient and left to dry ignition time reduced to approx. 10 secs for all products tested, including paraffin free products. No difference was found by leaving the same amount of contaminant (approx. ¼ tsp) for 24hrs, 48hrs or 7 days. Flame time was measured along with glowing/smouldering combustion time, vertical flame spread/speed and flame height. All tests indicate that when skin care products contaminate fabrics, they burn more intensely and flame height, maximum burn temperature and vertical flame spread significantly increases.

Re-wearing clothing soaked with skin care products presents a fire risk impacting the reaction time when someone accidently exposes their clothing or bedding to a flame. There is the likelihood of severe skin burns caused by increased smouldering combustion time with the contaminated fabric burning next to the skin. The increase in flame height and flame spread indicates other clothing or nearby fuels could ignite causing fire to spread quicker. Recent research includes tests on blended fabrics and those with an inherent flame retardant characteristic. These have also proven to ignite and support a flame when imbued with emollients, where fabrics would normally just shrink and char, identifying another potential fire risk with contaminated bed sheets, nightwear and dressings made of blended fabrics, such as those used in hospitals and care settings.

Sarah and Joanne’s research has been supported by Lab Technician, Carolyn Bugg, a RIDO funded summer placement student, Tamsin Coomber and UG project students Tracy Curshen, Ashleigh Palmer and Darryl Rayment. They’re currently working with Research Assistant, Kirsty Blackburn, on washing methods to remove creams and analysing the residues with Infrared Spectroscopy analysis, plus, assessing the current risk information distributed by Clinical Commission Groups (CCGs) and Fire and Rescue Services in the UK. A summer internship student, Kiara Daly, is extending the range of paraffin free products being tested.

This article originally appeared in the June 2019 issue of 'First', our Faculty Research Newsletter.

Dr Rahul Pathak participated in an international documentary project commissioned by MediaCorp Singapore and Channel News Asia International.

As part of the documentary project, a high profile double murder case that took place in India in May 2008 was revisited and re-investigated. The case has become famous as the Aarushi Talwar Case and is often dubbed as India’s JonBenet Ramsey. In this case a 13-year-old girl was found brutally murdered in her bedroom in New Delhi. The parents of the girl were found guilty of ‘honour killing’ and sentenced to life imprisonment by a trial court.

Today the case is being heard in Higher Court on the parents’ appeal that the trial court verdict was a result of a compromised crime scene and substandard investigation.

Rahul reviewed the case documents including crime scene photographs and reconstructed the crime scene for bloodstain pattern analysis.

The full story can be read on BBC News.

This article originally appeared in the June 2017 issue of 'First', our Faculty Research Newsletter.

Jo Dawkins, recently presented at the Home Office Centre for Applied Science and Technology (CAST) Academia and Industry meeting at the University of Westminster.

The meeting is attended by the leading forensic researchers, practitioners and industrial partners from across the UK. The presentation focused on the latest research regarding the development of fingermarks from painted walls at crime scenes, which is being undertaken at our University with Dr Lata Gautam and Dr Leesa Ferguson, and in conjunction with Dr Helen Bandey at CAST.

Jo explains:

Jo’s main research interests lie in fingermark development and recovery, particularly ‘in situ’, and is currently completing her PhD in this area in collaboration with CAST.

With a notable professional and teaching background, Jo is also a Professional Member of the Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences and was elected to its Fingerprint Division Committee and Events Committee. She sits on the editorial board for ‘Fingerprint Whorld’ and is a peer reviewer for the journal. In addition to this Jo is also a member of The International Association for Identification, Society of Evidence Based Policing, and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

This article originally appeared in the June 2017 issue of 'First', our Faculty Research Newsletter.