Cling film plastic wrap: An innovation for dead body packaging, preservation and transportation by first responders as a replacement for cadaver body bag in large scale disasters

Abstract

Cadaver body bags are the conventional method to contain a human body or human remains, which includes the use for storage and transportation of the deceased at any crime scene or disaster scene. During disasters, most often than not, the first responders including the police will be equipped with cadaver body bags to do scene processing of human remains and collection of personal belongings at the disaster site. However, in an unanticipated large scale disasters involving hundreds and thousands of fatalities, cadaver body bags supplies may be scarce. The authors have therefore innovated the cling film plastic wrap as an alternative for the cadaver body bag used at the disaster site. The plastic wrap was tested on six different experimental subjects, i.e. both adult and child mannequins; body parts of the mannequin figure (arm and hand); a human adult subject and an unknown dead body. The strengths of the cling film plastic wrap are discussed in comparison with the cadaver body bag in the aspects of costing, weight, duration of the wrap, water and body fluid resistant properties, visibility and other advantages. An average savings of more than 5000% are noted for both adult body wrap and child body wrap compared to the cadaver body wrap. This simply means that the authors can either wrap 25 adult dead bodies or 80 children dead bodies with the cost of 1 cadaver body bag. The cling film plastic wrap has proven to have significant innovation impact for dead body management particularly by the first responders in large scale disasters. With proper handling of dead bodies, first responders can manage the dead with dignity and respect in an overwhelmed situation to facilitate the humanitarian victim identification process later.

El papel de los equipos caninos detectores de restos humanos en la investigación criminal

“…Diversos estudios han determinado enfoques desde las diferentes disciplinas asociadas a la investigación criminal: metodologías de recolección y preservación de restos humanos en la escena (Khoo et al, 2018), recaudación de datos ante mortem (Blau et al, 2006), desarrollo de herramientas cuantitativas para la toma de decisiones (De Cosmo & Barbera, 2012), instalaciones mortuorias de emergencia (Eitzen & Zimmermann, 2011) y políticas empleadas según el tipo de emergencia o desastre natural (Merli & Buck, 2015). Para el caso de los resultados de este estudio, se ha demostrado que los análisis de evidencia física recuperada de fosas clandestinas individuales y fosas comunes tienen un valor significativo de investigación tanto para fines judiciales (Blau et al, 2019) como para investigaciones humanitarias, con el fin de permitir la articulación de los diferentes mecanismos judiciales y extrajudiciales, y lograr la satisfacción de los derechos de las víctimas del conflicto armado.…”

A Importância Do Local Do Crime Na Investigação Pericial – Revisão De Literatura

“…Mesmo quando a evidência é recolhida e preservada da forma mais rigorosa e cuidada, o seu valor pode ser perdido se a cadeia de custódia não for adequadamente constituída. (Khoo et al, 2018) Em virtude dos fatos mencionados, este trabalho foi escrito por meio de bases de dados viáveis a literatura que abranja o tema estudado. E logo com os dados encontrados analisou a relevância preservação do local de crime para a investigação pericial.…”

The role of forensic anthropology in disaster victim identification (DVI): recent developments and future prospects

“…The DVI process has had broad coverage in the literature. This has included detailed descriptions of the five phases that cover the time directly following the disaster up to the burial/cremation of the deceased [4]: In addition, the literature has covered the need for detailed AM data [7,8]; establishing temporary mortuaries to deal with DVI [9,10]; methods of packaging and preserving remains at the scene [11]; the development of quantitative decision support tools [12,13]; country specific approaches to DVI [14,15] together with numerous DVI case studies [16]; the politics associated with DVI [17]; the need for cultural sensitivity towards those victims and families [18,19]; preparation and training exercises [4,20,21], as well as the roles of various forensic specialists involved in DVI including the forensic pathologists [22], forensic odontologists [23][24][25], molecular biologists [26][27][28][29], forensic radiologists [30][31][32][33], and relatively recently, the forensic anthropologists [34,35].…”