A method for forensic gasoline comparison in fire debris samples: A numerical likelihood ratio system.

In many arson cases gasoline is used as a means to start the fire. In this paper results are presented for a likelihood-ratio (LR) system aimed at comparing gasoline traces from fire debris to a reference gasoline. The LR-system is able to deal with disturbing effects caused by burning and exposure to surroundings: pyrolysis products, preferential adsorption and evaporation. This paper focusses on the criminalistic and statistical aspects of the design of the LR-system, and presents results on performance of the LR-system. The details of trace gasoline recovery from fire debris will be presented in an accompanying paper. Validation and performance measures show that this system gives well-calibrated LRs for comparisons involving trace samples with a spread in quantity of gasoline, evaporation levels, and matrices that are typically encountered in casework. Rates of misleading evidence are less than 3.5%. We conclude that, despite limitations in experimental design, this LR-system can be useful to the comparison of gasoline profiles in casework practice.

Monitoring of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in food supplements containing botanicals and other ingredients on the Dutch market.

Food supplements can contain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has defined 16 priority PAH that are both genotoxic and carcinogenic and identified eight priority PAH (PAH8) or four of these (PAH4) as good indicators of the toxicity and occurrence of PAH in food. The current study aimed to determine benzo[a]pyrene and other EFSA priority PAH in different categories of food supplements containing botanicals and other ingredients. From 2003 to 2008, benzo[a]pyrene exceeded the limit of quantification (LOQ) in 553 (44%) of 1258 supplements with a lower-bound mean of 3.37 µg kg(-1). In 2008 and 2009, benzo[a]pyrene and 12 other EFSA priority PAH were determined in 333 food supplements. Benzo[a]pyrene exceeded the LOQ in 210 (63%) food supplements with a lower-bound mean of 5.26 µg kg(-1). Lower-bound mean levels for PAH4 and PAH8(-indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene) were 33.5 and 40.5 µg kg(-1), respectively. Supplements containing resveratrol, Ginkgo biloba, St. John's wort and propolis showed relatively high PAH4 levels in 2008 and 2009. Before 2008, supplements with these ingredients and also dong quai, green tea or valerian contained relatively high benzo[a]pyrene levels. On average, PAH4 intake resulting from food supplement use will be at the lower end of the range of contributions of main food groups to PAH4 exposure, although individual food supplements can contribute significantly to PAH4 exposure. Regular control of EFSA indicator PAH levels in food supplements may prove a way forward to reduce further the intake of PAH from food.

[Impairment of safety in navigation caused by alcohol: pupillography and measurement of pupil movements]. / Beeinträchtigung der Sicherheit im Schiffsverkehr durch Alkohol. Pupillographie und Augenbewegungsmessungen.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate data in an interdisciplinary project (ophthalmology, forensic medicine, internal medicine, psychology,and nautical science) in order to identify critical blood alcohol limits in sea navigation. METHODS: A sea traffic simulator was employed for realistic nautical demands on 21 professional experienced skippers under sober and alcoholized conditions (target blood alcohol concentration: 1.0 per thousand ). After simulated navigation, pupil light reflex, spontaneous pupil movements,nystagmus,and saccades were evaluated by pupillography. Modification of the pupillograph enabled us also to measure optokinetic nystagmus. RESULTS: Evaluation of the pupil light reflex revealed obvious changes in the extent of relative contraction and in redilatation time under the influence of alcohol. Diminished vigilance could be observed in all of the skippers when optokinetic nystagmus was tested. CONCLUSION: The pupillograph represents a suitable device for measuring functions of the visual and vegetative systems. Thus, the impact of these functions on nautical capability can be demonstrated. If further investigations such as ophthalmological, medical, psychological, and nautical evaluations are taken into account, it could be determined that blood alcohol levels of 1.0 per thousand may exclude safe navigation.