Characterisation of gunshot residues from non-toxic ammunition and their persistence on the shooter's hands.

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.

Short wave infrared chemical imaging as future tool for analysing gunshot residues patterns in targets.

This work used chemical imaging in the short-wave infrared region for analysing gunshot residues (GSR) patterns in cotton fabric targets shot with conventional and non-toxic ammunition. It presents a non-destructive, non-toxic, highly visual and hiperspectral-based approach. The method was based on classical least squares regression, and was tested with the ammunition propellants and their standard components' spectra. The propellants' spectra were satisfactorily used (R2 >0.966, and CorrCoef >0.982) for identifying the GSR irrespective of the type of ammunition used for the shooting. In a more versatile approach, nitrocellulose, the main component in the ammunition propellants, resulted an excellent standard for identifying GSR patterns (R2>0.842, and CorrCoef >0.908). In this case, the propellants' stabilizers (diphenilamine and centralite), and its nitrated derivatives as well as dinitrotoluene, showed also high spectral activity. Therefore, they could be recommended as complementary standards for confirming the GSR identification. These findings establish the proof of concept for a science-based evidence useful to support expert reports and final court rulings. This approach for obtaining GSR patterns can be an excellent alternative to the current and traditional chemical methods, which are based in presumptive and invasive colour tests.

Reducing impacts from ammunitions: A comparative life-cycle assessment of four types of 9mm ammunitions.

Increase of environmental awareness of the population has pressured research activities in the defence area to cover environment and toxicity issues, where have been considered appropriate manners to reduce the environmental and toxicological impacts of ammunition. One of the adopted approaches to achieve such goal involves the replacement of lead and other heavy metals by alternative materials. However, the consequences of using alternative materials in ammunitions manufacturing are uncertain for the other life-cycle phases and trade-offs can occur. The present paper describes the potential benefits from the replacement of lead in the primer and in the projectile of a 9mm calibre ammunition. For that purpose, it is assessed and compared the environmental and toxicological impacts associated with the life-cycle of four ammunitions: combination of two types of projectiles (steel jacket and lead core; copper and nylon composite) with two types of primers (lead primer; non-lead primer). In addition, some potential improvements for the environmental performance of small calibre ammunition are also presented. To assess the impacts two Life-Cycle Impact Assessment methods are applied: CML for six environmental categories and USEtox to three toxicity categories. Results showed that the conclusion drawn for environmental and toxicological impact categories are distinct. In fact, ammunition production phase presents higher impacts for the environmental categories, whilst the operation phase has a higher impact to the toxicity categories. The substitution of lead in the primer and in the projectile provides a suitable alternative from a toxicology perspective; however, the composite projectile still presents some environmental concerns. The conclusions drawn are important for the procurement (and design) of environmental responsible ammunitions, in order to avoid (or decrease) the impacts for their manufacture and the effects on human health (e.g. shooters) and ecosystems near shooting ranges or hunting areas.

Methods for the Determination of Shooting Distance.

The review deals with scientific methods for determining shooting distance. The different procedures are explained, their advantages and disadvantages are discussed. The methods are divided into chemographical processes and spectroscopic techniques. Special emphasis is given to the methods proven to be especially useful in daily work, but methods used in basic research are briefly described as well. Furthermore, attention is paid to newly developed ammunitions. In addition, a survey is given on the chemical elements found in gunshot residences (GSR).