Analysis of volatile organic compounds released from the decay of surrogate human models simulating victims of collapsed buildings by thermal desorption–comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography–time of flight mass spectrometry

Agapiou, Agapios; Zorba, Eleni; Mikedi, K.; McGregor, Laura; Spiliopoulou, Chara; Statheropoulos, M.

doi:10.1016/j.aca.2015.04.024

Cited by 45 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…The VOCs detected were mostly consistent with the published literature discussing scent profiles of decomposing pigs [35,37,38,49]. All chemical classes were represented, with the exception of halogenated compounds.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

Identification of decomposition volatile organic compounds from surface-deposited and submerged porcine remains

et al. 2019

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Cadaver dogs are routinely used internationally by police and civilian search organisations to locate human remains on land and in water, yet little is currently known about the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are released by a cadaver underwater; how this compares to those given off by a cadaver deposited on land; and ultimately, how this affects the detection of drowned victims by dogs. The aim of this study was to identify the VOCs released by whole porcine (Sus scrofa domesticus) cadavers deposited on the surface and submerged in water using solid phase microextraction gas chromatography mass spectrometry (SPME GC-MS) to ascertain if there are notable differences in decomposition odour depending on the deposition location. For the first time in the UK, the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the headspace of decomposing porcine cadavers deposited in both terrestrial and water environments have been detected and identified using SPME-GCMS, including thirteen new VOCs not previously detected from porcine cadavers. Distinct differences were found between the VOCs emitted by porcine cadavers in terrestrial and water environments. In total, seventy-four VOCs were identified from a variety of different chemical classes; carboxylic acids, alcohols, aromatics, aldehydes, ketones, hydrocarbons, esters, ethers, nitrogen compounds and sulphur compounds. Only forty-one VOCs were detected in the headspace of the submerged pigs with seventy detected in the headspace of the surface-deposited pigs. These deposition-dependent differences have important implications for the training of cadaver dogs in the UK. If dog training does not account for these depositional differences, there is potential for human remains to be missed. Whilst the specific odours that elicit a trained response from cadaver dogs remain unknown, this research means that recommendations can be made for the training of cadaver dogs to incorporate different depositions, to account for odour differences and mitigate the possibility of missed human remains operationally. 1.1. VOCs from the decomposition of carbohydrates Carbohydrates are broken down into their constituent sugars and

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

Identification of decomposition volatile organic compounds from surface-deposited and submerged porcine remains

et al. 2019

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“…Moreover, several recent applications of this method to toxicology, clinical chemistry, food and environmental analysis have recently been reviewed . In toxicology, the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) produced during the early stages of bodily decomposition can be detected using thermal desorption coupled to GC×GC/TOF‐MS, and this approach could be used for a wide variety of forensic or epidemiologic purposes, such as during natural catastrophes with large numbers of collapsed buildings . In clinical chemistry, the quantitative analysis of organic acids in urine has been performed using GC×GC/TOF‐MS to determine abnormal patterns that can indicate the presence of inherited disorders of organic acid metabolism .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison of gas chromatography/quadrupole time‐of‐flight and quadrupole Orbitrap mass spectrometry in anti‐doping analysis: I. Detection of anabolic‐androgenic steroids

Abushareeda

Tienstra

Lommen

et al. 2018

Rapid Comm Mass Spectrometry

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“…Locating victims following a mass disaster is a task of critical importance for ethical, social, and religious reasons [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]. Mass disasters can refer to natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis and hurricanes, or man-made disasters often associated with acts of terrorism.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The decomposition odour following death has also been extensively investigated in a forensic context, predominantly to identify the VOCs used by HRD dogs and insects to locate decomposing remains [ 6 , 7 , 10 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 ] and to identify alternative search techniques for locating victim remains [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 32 ]. Most studies that use whole cadavers/carcasses chemically profile the complete decomposition process, from autolysis to putrefaction and liquefaction, through to the final stages of skeletonisation or dry remains [ 10 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 26 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 33 , 34 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…0–72 h) [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]. With the exception of the study by Statheropoulos et al [2] in which duplicate VOC samples were collected at 0, 4, 8 and 24 h from a body with a PMI estimate of 3 days, all other studies that have investigated the VOC profile of the early postmortem period have only collected VOC samples once daily during this timeframe [ 1 , 2 ]. This provides a ‘snapshot’ of the detectable VOC profile at fixed points during the first 72 h but does not advance our understanding of how the VOC profile changes during this time.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Establishing the volatile profile of pig carcasses as analogues for human decomposition during the early postmortem period

Armstrong

Nizio

Perrault

et al. 2016

Heliyon

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Following a mass disaster, it is important that victims are rapidly located as the chances of survival decrease greatly after approximately 48 h. Urban search and rescue (USAR) teams may use a range of tools to assist their efforts but detector dogs still remain one of the most effective search tools to locate victims of mass disasters. USAR teams can choose to deploy human scent dogs (trained to locate living victims) or human remains detection (HRD) dogs (trained to locate deceased victims). However, little is known about the variation between live human scent and postmortem human remains scent and the timeframe during which one type of scent transitions to the other. The aim of the current study was to measure the change in the scent profile of human decomposition analogues during the first 72 h postmortem by measuring the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that comprise the odour. Three pig carcasses (Sus scrofa domesticus L.) were placed on a soil surface and allowed to decompose under natural conditions. Decomposition odour was sampled frequently up to 75 h postmortem and analysed using comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography – time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC×GC-TOFMS). A total of 105 postmortem VOCs were identified during the early postmortem period. The VOC profile during the early postmortem period was highly dynamic, changing both hourly and daily. A transition period was observed after 43 h postmortem, where the VOC profile appeared to shift from a distinct antemortem odour to a more generalised postmortem odour. These findings are important in informing USAR teams and their use of detector dogs for disaster victim recovery.

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Analysis of volatile organic compounds released from the decay of surrogate human models simulating victims of collapsed buildings by thermal desorption–comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography–time of flight mass spectrometry

Cited by 45 publications

References 38 publications

Identification of decomposition volatile organic compounds from surface-deposited and submerged porcine remains

Identification of decomposition volatile organic compounds from surface-deposited and submerged porcine remains

Comparison of gas chromatography/quadrupole time‐of‐flight and quadrupole Orbitrap mass spectrometry in anti‐doping analysis: I. Detection of anabolic‐androgenic steroids

Establishing the volatile profile of pig carcasses as analogues for human decomposition during the early postmortem period

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