This article describes how, with few exceptions, nanoparticles and sub-visible particles are routinely overlooked by forensic investigators and presents a practical framework that enables the identification and significance of trace evidence particles.
Engineered nanoparticles have become ubiquitous in modern society, in everything from sunscreen to beauty products to clothing. NIJ-funded scientists noted that except for gunshot residue analysis, nanoparticles and subvisible particles are routinely overlooked by forensic investigators. This article describes how those researchers developed a framework that would enable forensic laboratories to use existing equipment to identify and interpret the significance of smaller particles in a practical manner. The scientists stated that there "is virtually no published information on the population of subvisible particles present in real-world forensic samples, nor is there data on the prevalence, transfer, and persistence of nanoparticles within a given substrate or environment."