Fingermark simulants and their inherent problems: A comparison with latent fingermark deposits

Abstract

Commercially available fingermark simulants werecompared to latent fingermark deposits to assess their efficacy asstandards for a quality control assessment of fingermark developmentreagents. Deposits of the simulants and latent fingermarks were madeon paper substrates and were developed using reagents that targetamino acids (ninhydrin, 1,2-indanedione) and sebaceous secretions(Oil Red O, physical developer). The resulting marks were comparedfor visibility and color. Significant differences were observed betweenthe simulants and latent fingermarks in response to the fingermarkdevelopment reagents. Infrared spectroscopic analysis of the simulantscompared to untreated latent fingermarks revealed differencesin chemical composition. These results indicate that these simulantsare not well suited as quality control standards in forensic laboratoriesand should be used with extreme caution in any form of research intolatent fingermark detection.