Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Rome, Italy.
Institute of Public Health, Section of Legal Medicine, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy.
Int J Legal Med. 2020 May;134(3):1083-1094. doi: 10.1007/s00414-020-02261-9. Epub 2020 Feb 12.
The aim of this work was to characterise three non-toxic ammunition (NTA) from the GECO and Fiocchi brands, which are available in the Italian market. Characterisation was carried out by considering both the elemental chemical composition and morphology, using scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM-EDS). Particles were collected from both the cartridge cases and the shooters' hands after shooting tests. Six volunteers fired two shots for each ammunition. Several elements, such as aluminium, potassium, silicon, sulphur, titanium and zinc were found in gunshot residue (GSR) particles from different ammunition. We also studied the persistence of these types of GSR on the hands of the shooters in a range between 1 and 6 h after shooting. The GSR particles from the three NTA tested were found on the hands of shooters until 6 h after the shots. The characterisations undertaken in this work will be useful for specialists in forensic science and legal medicine to evaluate trace evidence from these new NTA in casework, as such formulations are in growth.
本工作旨在对意大利市场上的三种非致命弹药（NTA）——GECO 和 Fiocchi 品牌进行特征描述。通过扫描电子显微镜结合能谱分析（SEM-EDS），对元素化学组成和形态进行了特征描述。射击试验后，从弹壳和射手手上收集了颗粒。六名志愿者对每种弹药各射击两发。从不同弹药的射击残留物（GSR）颗粒中发现了铝、钾、硅、硫、钛和锌等多种元素。我们还研究了这些类型的 GSR 在射击后 1 至 6 小时内留在射手手上的持久性。在射击后 6 小时内，从三种测试的 NTA 上发现了 GSR 颗粒。本工作中的特征描述将有助于法医学和法医学专家在法庭科学中评估这些新型 NTA 的微量证据，因为这些配方正在不断发展。
