Forensic analysis of cigarette ash : brand determination through trace-metal analysis.

Abstract

Although cigarette ash is frequently encountered at crime scenes, it has largely been ignored in a forensic context (Fisher, 2004). Few efforts have been made to utilize the information present in the form of trace-metal concentrations even though these could indicate the brand the ash originated from which could potentially help place suspects at crime scenes or assess how many people may have been present at a scene (Pere?üz-Bernal et al., 2011). The focus of this study is to distinguish cigarette brands based on the trace-metal concentrations in their ash in a forensic context. The study included commercial cigarettes procured in America, as well as American and foreign brands purchased in different countries. Cigarettes were ashed, or "smoked", using a variable-pressure peristaltic pump, mimicking various smoking parameters reflecting the range of human smoking habits.