Practical Considerations in Trace Element Analysis of Bone by Portable X-ray Fluorescence.
Forensic anthropologists are more often turning to nondestructive methods to assist with skeletal analyses, specifically for trace elemental analyses. Portable XRF (pXRF) instruments are versatile and are able to be used in diverse settings or for specimens of a shape and size that cannot be accommodated by laboratory-based instruments. Use of XRF requires knowledge of analysis parameters such as X-ray penetration and exit depth. Analysis depth was determined by examining pure elements through known thicknesses of equine bone slices. Correlation between the element's X-ray emission energy and the depth of reading was observed. Bone surfaces from a small unknown historic cemetery were analyzed before and after sanding of the periosteal surface to observe possible changes in XRF readings based on potential diagenesis. Results validate the pXRF device as a powerful and convenient instrument for nondestructive analysis, while highlighting limitations and considerations for the analysis of osseous materials.
Division of Social Sciences, University of Hawai'i-West O'ahu, 91-1001 Farrington Highway, Kapolei, HI, 96707.
Jennifer F
0000-0001-6727-7563
JF
Byrnes
Laboratory for Forensic Odontology Research, School of Dental Medicine, SUNY at Buffalo, B1 Squire Hall, S. Campus, Buffalo, NY, 14214.
Peter J
PJ
Bush
D000818:Animals; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000737:chemistry*; D005554:Forensic Medicine / Q000295:instrumentation; D006801:Humans; D013052:Spectrometry, X-Ray Emission; D014131:Trace Elements / Q000032:analysis*; D014965:X-Rays
D014131:Trace Elements
bone chemistry; diagenesis; forensic anthropology; forensic science; portable X-ray fluorescence; trace elements