Abstract
Blood at crime scenes is one of the most significant traces of evidence in investigation proceedings. Cleaning up these traces with household cleaning products, often containing bleaching agents, inhibits or complicates the detection of DNA. In this study, human blood was applied onto different floor coverings (carpet, laminate, parquet, PVC, tile) and subsequently cleaned with water and bleaching agents (hydrogen peroxide, sodium hypochlorite, DanKlorix®, Vanish Oxi Action®) at different times. Samples have been collected afterwards from the floors. The samples underwent a quantitative and qualitative DNA analysis. Cleaning smooth surfaces with water is usually sufficed to prohibit retrieving a DNA profile in most of the cases. Cleaning carpets was more difficult due to their absorbent surface whereas the use of bleaching agents caused an additional reduction of verifiable DNA concentrations. Retrieving partial or complete profiles after the use of bleaching agents was only possible when cleaning with low concentrations of 3% hydrogen peroxide.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Passi N, Garg RK, Yadav M, Singh RS, Kharoshah MA (2012) Effect of luminol and bleaching agent on the serological and DNA analysis from bloodstain. Egypt J Forensic Sci 2:54–61
Creamer JI, Quickenden TI, Crichton LB, Robertson P, Ruhayel RA (2005) Attempted cleaning of bloodstains and its effect on the forensic luminol test. Luminescence 20:411–413
Quickenden TI, Creamer JI (2001) A study of common interferences with the forensic luminol test for blood. Luminescence 16:295–298
Castelló A, Francés F, Verdú F (2009) Bleach interference in forensic luminol tests on porous surfaces: more about the drying time effect. Talanta 77(4):1555–1557
Castelló A, Francés F, Verdú F (2010) DNA evidence uncompromised by active oxygen. Scientific World J 20:387–392
Klein A, Feudel E, Türk E, Püschel K, Gehl A (2007) Lumineszenz nach Luminolanwendung – Richtig- oder falschpositiv? Rechtsmedizin 17:146–152
Thabet HZ, Ghandour NM, Salama RH (2018) Effect of some cleaning products on blood DNA retrieval from cloth. Egypt J Forensic Sci Appli Toxicol 18(2):53–66
Harris KA, Thacker CR, Ballard D, Syndercombe Court D (2006) The effect of cleaning agents on the DNA analysis of blood stains deposited on different substrates. Int Congress Ser 1288:589–591
Klein A, Krebs O, Gehl A, Morgner J, Reeger L, Augustin C, Edler C (2018) Detection of blood and DNA traces after thermal exposure. Int J Legal Med 132:1025–1033
Acknowledgements
This paper is largely based on the Bachelor’s thesis “Auswirkungen von Bleichmitteln auf die DNA im Blut” [Effects of bleaching agents on the DNA in blood] by K. Palatzke und N. Tiedemann.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Informed consent
Informed consent was not necessary in this study.
Ethical approval
All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.
Additional information
Publisher’s note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Edler, C., Krebs, O., Gehl, A. et al. The effect of bleaching agents on the DNA analysis of bloodstains on different floor coverings. Int J Legal Med 134, 921–927 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-020-02250-y
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-020-02250-y