Gunshot Residue using SEM/EDS and LC-MS/MS

What is it about?

Due to possible secondary transfer of gunshot residue (GSR) onto a suspect in police custody prior to sampling, a baseline must be created for the amount of GSR present. With an increase of “lead free” ammunition, testing for both gunpowder and primer GSR is relevant. Seventy samples were collected using carbon-coated adhesive stubs from four Pittsburgh Police Stations and vehicles to investigate these locations as sources of secondary GSR contamination. These seventy samples were analyzed for primer GSR using scanning electron microscopy-energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry. These same samples were then analyzed for gunpowder GSR using liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry.

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