The Effect of Rust Preventative Coating on Latent Bloodstain Detection from the Forensic Luminol Test
School Name
Spring Valley High School
Grade Level
11th Grade
Presentation Topic
Chemistry
Presentation Type
Non-Mentored
Abstract
The ability to locate evidence is crucial to solving a case. Blood is one of the most common substances found at a crime scene, so it is important to ensure it can be detected. There exist different tests to detect latent (hidden) bloodstains, with luminol tests being one of them. There are materials that can inhibit the test’s proficiency, leading to false negative results. Substances can physically or chemically prevent luminol from reacting. Rust preventative coatings combine the physical and chemical aspects of substances that inhibit luminol’s chemiluminescence, so it is hypothesized that they can prevent blood from being detected quicker than other materials, especially in comparison to standard paints. An experiment was conducted involving wood samples stained with porcine blood that were coated with increasing layers of rust preventative or general purpose paint. Luminol tests were run on the samples, the reactions were captured using a cell phone, and the images were analyzed using image statistics software. It was found that, to the naked eye, rust preventative paint covers blood faster and more efficiently than typical paint when exposed to the luminol test. A two-way ANOVA test was conducted and it was found that only the interaction between paint type and layer amount was statistically significant (p = 0.045). These findings suggest that paint type in tandem with the number of layers chosen to cover bloodstains has an effect on the luminol test’s efficacy. The results of this research reveal another material and method that can inhibit luminol test results.
Recommended Citation
Slaubaugh, Marina, "The Effect of Rust Preventative Coating on Latent Bloodstain Detection from the Forensic Luminol Test" (2023). South Carolina Junior Academy of Science. 22.
https://scholarexchange.furman.edu/scjas/2023/all/22
Location
ECL 115
Start Date
3-25-2023 9:15 AM
Presentation Format
Oral and Written
Group Project
No
The Effect of Rust Preventative Coating on Latent Bloodstain Detection from the Forensic Luminol Test
ECL 115
The ability to locate evidence is crucial to solving a case. Blood is one of the most common substances found at a crime scene, so it is important to ensure it can be detected. There exist different tests to detect latent (hidden) bloodstains, with luminol tests being one of them. There are materials that can inhibit the test’s proficiency, leading to false negative results. Substances can physically or chemically prevent luminol from reacting. Rust preventative coatings combine the physical and chemical aspects of substances that inhibit luminol’s chemiluminescence, so it is hypothesized that they can prevent blood from being detected quicker than other materials, especially in comparison to standard paints. An experiment was conducted involving wood samples stained with porcine blood that were coated with increasing layers of rust preventative or general purpose paint. Luminol tests were run on the samples, the reactions were captured using a cell phone, and the images were analyzed using image statistics software. It was found that, to the naked eye, rust preventative paint covers blood faster and more efficiently than typical paint when exposed to the luminol test. A two-way ANOVA test was conducted and it was found that only the interaction between paint type and layer amount was statistically significant (p = 0.045). These findings suggest that paint type in tandem with the number of layers chosen to cover bloodstains has an effect on the luminol test’s efficacy. The results of this research reveal another material and method that can inhibit luminol test results.
