ISSN: 0022-1198
CODEN: JFSCA
Page Count: 8

Arson Evidence Container Evaluation: II. “New Generation” Kapak Bags
Midkiff, CR
Forensic chemists, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, National Laboratory Center, MD

Kinard, WD
Forensic chemists, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, National Laboratory Center, MD

(Received 9 February 1991; accepted 24 April 1991)

Abstract

Packaging for arson evidence must be convenient to transport to and from the scene, available in a range of sizes, water resistant, easy to seal, and effective at providing containment of accelerant vapors. Traditional containers have several limitations for use in the field and the laboratory. A polyester-polyolefin composite film bag was an attractive candidate but had been largely abandoned because of a contamination problem. Similar bags made with film from a modified process designed to eliminate the contaminant were studied to assess their suitability as containers for routine use by arson investigators. This study showed the “new generation” bags to be free of the prior contaminant and sufficiently retentive for packaging and storage of arson evidence.

Keywords:
criminalistics, arson, physical evidence, packaging, containers, flammable liquid, hydrocarbon contamination, collection

Paper ID: JFS13194J
DOI: 10.1520/JFS13194J
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