title: Does the prior application of the field kit bullet hole testing kit 3 on a suspected bullet hole bias the analysis of atomic absorption spectrophotometry?
abstract: Forensic ballistics is the study of bullet trajectory and consists of determining gunshot residue (GSR) to identify bullet holes. Among several highly sensitive methods, atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS) is employed to analyze GSR in the laboratory. However, it is sometimes necessary to identify bullet holes immediately at a crime scene. The purpose of this examination was to determine whether the use of the field test Bullet Hole Testing Kit 3 (BTK3) on a suspected bullet hole would influence the outcome of AAS-analysis: Three commonly encountered firearms (Glock17, Tokarev, and Colt) were fired at skin, wood, and cloth. AAS-analysis was performed with and without previous BTK3 application. The results clearly indicate that there is no significant interaction on the grounds of BTK3 use (BTK3 vs. no-BTK3 [kit_nokit] [Pb: p = 0.1309; Sb: p = 0.9111], material*kit_nokit [Pb: p = 0.5960; Sb: p = 0.9930], distance*kit_nokit [Pb: p = 0.4014; Sb: p = 0.9184], and firearm type*kit_nokit [Pb: p = 0.9662; Sb: p = 0.9885]); hence, applying this field kit does not falsify later AAS outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Sensengasse 2, A-1090 Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Monika H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Seltenhammer
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fitzl
authors.forename: Ingo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Wieser
authors.forename: Reinhard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Binder
authors.forename: Pia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Paula
authors.forename: Daniele U
authors.initials: DU
authors.lastname: Risser
keywords: Bullet Hole Testing Kit 3; atomic absorption spectrophotometry; flash test; forensic ballistics; forensic science; gunshot residue; interaction of field kit