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It is recommended that laboratories store their consumables in such a way as to limit exposure to the environment and consider effective pretreatment. Current pretreatment methods, such as autoclaving and UV cross-linking, may not be entirely effective since they may not penetrate all surfaces of the consumable.
The FSS has reported ethylene oxide gas to be extremely effective in removing DNA. Ethylene oxide is commonly used to sterilize medical equipment, and is used by some manufacturers of the consumables used in forensic DNA analysis.
The first incident in the United States was reported after DNA profiles were uploaded into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) and subsequently linked multiple crimes across multiple states. After it was determined that the FSS had also observed this same profile (with SGM+) on more than one occasion, it was believed that the profile must have originated from a consumable used in the analysis process.
Additional Online Courses
- What Every First Responding Officer Should Know About DNA Evidence
- Collecting DNA Evidence at Property Crime Scenes
- DNA – A Prosecutor’s Practice Notebook
- Crime Scene and DNA Basics
- Laboratory Safety Programs
- DNA Amplification
- Population Genetics and Statistics
- Non-STR DNA Markers: SNPs, Y-STRs, LCN and mtDNA
- Firearms Examiner Training
- Forensic DNA Education for Law Enforcement Decisionmakers
- What Every Investigator and Evidence Technician Should Know About DNA Evidence
- Principles of Forensic DNA for Officers of the Court
- Law 101: Legal Guide for the Forensic Expert
- Laboratory Orientation and Testing of Body Fluids and Tissues
- DNA Extraction and Quantitation
- STR Data Analysis and Interpretation
- Communication Skills, Report Writing, and Courtroom Testimony
- Español for Law Enforcement
- Amplified DNA Product Separation for Forensic Analysts