title: Analysis of volatile organic compounds released from the decay of surrogate human models simulating victims of collapsed buildings by thermal desorption-comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography-time of flight mass spectrometry.
abstract: Field experiments were devised to mimic the entrapment conditions under the rubble of collapsed buildings aiming to investigate the evolution of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) during the early dead body decomposition stage. Three pig carcasses were placed inside concrete tunnels of a search and rescue (SAR) operational field terrain for simulating the entrapment environment after a building collapse. The experimental campaign employed both laboratory and on-site analytical methods running in parallel. The current work focuses only on the results of the laboratory method using thermal desorption coupled to comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TD-GC×GC-TOF MS). The flow-modulated TD-GC×GC-TOF MS provided enhanced separation of the VOC profile and served as a reference method for the evaluation of the on-site analytical methods in the current experimental campaign. Bespoke software was used to deconvolve the VOC profile to extract as much information as possible into peak lists. In total, 288 unique VOCs were identified (i.e., not found in blank samples). The majority were aliphatics (172), aromatics (25) and nitrogen compounds (19), followed by ketones (17), esters (13), alcohols (12), aldehydes (11), sulfur (9), miscellaneous (8) and acid compounds (2). The TD-GC×GC-TOF MS proved to be a sensitive and powerful system for resolving the chemical puzzle of above-ground "scent of death".
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Cyprus, P.O. Box 20537, 1678 Nicosia, Cyprus. Electronic address: agapiou.agapios@ucy.ac.cy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Agapiou
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Medical School, University of Athens, 75 Mikras Asias Str., 115 27 Goudi, Greece.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Zorba
authors.affiliation: School of Chemical Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Field Analytical Chemistry and Technology Unit, 9 Iroon Polytechniou Street, Athens 157 73, Greece.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mikedi
authors.affiliation: Markes International Ltd., Gwaun Elai Medi Science Campus, Llantrisant, RCT CF72 8XL, UK.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: McGregor
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Medical School, University of Athens, 75 Mikras Asias Str., 115 27 Goudi, Greece.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Spiliopoulou
authors.affiliation: School of Chemical Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Field Analytical Chemistry and Technology Unit, 9 Iroon Polytechniou Street, Athens 157 73, Greece.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Statheropoulos
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004190:Disasters; D004867:Equipment Design; D005554:Forensic Medicine / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D011180:Postmortem Changes; D055883:Structure Collapse; D013552:Swine; D055549:Volatile Organic Compounds / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D055549:Volatile Organic Compounds
keywords: Decomposition; Forensic chemistry; Pig carcass; Two-dimensional gas chromatography; Volatiles