Helping to solve criminal cases, identify art forgery and catch food adulteration are the goals of a new research project using nuclear techniques.
Experts from around the world, representing both practitioners of nuclear analytical techniques as well as forensic science stakeholder communities, met in Vienna last week to discuss the objectives of a new Coordinated Research Project on utilizing nuclear analytical techniques in forensic science. The project aims to determine how existing forensic methods can be complemented by the use of nuclear techniques to aid the work of police investigators, courts and customs officials.
The project, which will be four years in length, is divided into three main areas of focus: glass analysis, food authentication and cultural heritage. Nuclear analytical techniques may be effective tools for a variety of forensic purposes, such as the analysis of glass shards from a crime scene to support the prosecution of hit-and-run cases, the examination of food composition to detect adulteration and the investigation of art forgery.
“This is the first Coordinated Research Project that the IAEA has been involved in that focuses on the use of ion beam accelerators and research reactors for forensic analysis,” said Aliz Simon, an IAEA nuclear physicist specializing in accelerators. “We aim to identify new practical applications for these technologies, build capacity and facilitate networking in this area.” The project will also develop synergies between accelerator and research reactor techniques for forensic purposes, she added.
