Comparison of strontium isotope ratios in Mexican human hair and tap water as provenance indicators

Ammer, Saskia; Kootker, L.M.; Bartelink, Eric J.; Anderson, B. E.; Cunha, Eugénia; Davies, Gareth R.

doi:10.1016/j.forsciint.2020.110422

Cited by 14 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 52 publications

(77 reference statements)

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“…However, because of the complexity of the modern supermarket diet, it is almost impossible to compile the 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ranges of local foods from all traveled locations. As previous studies have shown that the hair samples usually have the same 87 Sr/ 86 Sr as the local tap water (Tipple et al, 2019;Ammer et al, 2020), we chose the 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios of the tap water samples in the FAD (Chartrand and St-Jean, 2015) and the river or tap water samples in the literature (Voerkelius et al, 2010;Chesson et al, 2012;Bataille et al, 2020b) to estimate the range of hair 87 Sr/ 86 Sr for the studied individual.…”

Section: Estimate Isotope Ranges From the Forensic Attribution Database And The Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Previous studies demonstrated that the 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios in hair are strongly related to the 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratio of local tap water (Tipple et al, 2018(Tipple et al, , 2019Ammer et al, 2020). If the hair of the volunteer recorded the 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios of tap water at traveled locations by drinking the tap water and incorporating its 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratio into hair through the bloodstream like the light stable isotope systems, we would expect large 87 Sr/ 86 Sr variations throughout the predicted profile shown in Figure 5.…”

Section: Comparing the Predicted Isotopic Profile And The Measured Isotopic Values Of Strontiummentioning

confidence: 99%

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Assessing the Reliability of Mobility Interpretation From a Multi-Isotope Hair Profile on a Traveling Individual

Chartrand

St-Jean

et al. 2020

Front. Ecol. Evol.

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Forensic practitioners, archeologists, and ecologists increasingly use hair isotope profiles and isotope databases and maps to reconstruct the life history of unidentified individuals. Relationships between hair isotope profiles with travel history have been primarily investigated through controlled laboratory experiments. However, those controlled studies do not reflect the complex life history of modern individuals who often travel between multiple locations over different periods. Here, we collect one bundle of hairs from a volunteer whose primary residence is in Ottawa (Canada) but who traveled to multiple destinations over a period of 18 months. Those travels include multi-week trips to distant locations and multi-day trips to more local areas. We use multi-isotope profiles on the individual's hairs coupled with isotope databases across the world to reconstruct travel history at sub-monthly temporal resolution. We compare the isotopic interpretation of mobility with the recorded travel history. A prominent shift in δ 2 H values is interpreted as a westward movement toward central Canada, which corresponds to a month-long road-trip to the Prairie. We observed a marked negative excursion in δ 13 C values along the hairs profile, which was related to a multi-week-long trip to several countries in Europe. Except for an exceptionally variable interval likely driven by health issues, δ 15 N values show very little fluctuation across the entire profile, indicating consumption of consistent amounts of animal or marine-based protein at different locations. The isotopic shifts in the proximal part of the hair reveal a clearer picture of traveling destinations than the shifts in the distal part, which have larger uncertainty in terms of timing and amplitude. Except for the last couple of months before collection, 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios show little variation throughout the profile likely due to recent exchange with Ottawa tap water during bathing or showering. The different 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios in the month preceding collection appear to partially preserve the 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratio of the volunteer's diet. This study demonstrates the interest of using multi-isotope systems and large isotopic databases to reconstruct individual mobility. This study also underlines the challenges in linking isotope data to mobility, particularly in rapidly growing keratinous tissues.

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Section: Estimate Isotope Ranges From the Forensic Attribution Database And The Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Comparing the Predicted Isotopic Profile And The Measured Isotopic Values Of Strontiummentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing the Reliability of Mobility Interpretation From a Multi-Isotope Hair Profile on a Traveling Individual

Chartrand

St-Jean

et al. 2020

Front. Ecol. Evol.

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“…The first reference database for the region was published by Juarez (2008); she measured 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios of teeth ( n = 19) collected from current residents of Mexico. More recently, Ammer, Kootker, et al (2020) measured 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios of hair ( n = 101) and tap water collected in Mexico and found that they were strongly correlated. This has led investigators to use Sr in combination with C and/or O to predict the likely origin of recovered UBC remains (e.g., Bartelink et al, 2018, 2020; Bartelink & Chesson, 2019; Kramer et al, 2020).…”

Section: Databases and Forensic Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This has led investigators to use Sr in combination with C and/or O to predict the likely origin of recovered UBC remains (e.g., Bartelink et al, 2018, 2020; Bartelink & Chesson, 2019; Kramer et al, 2020). Mapping products (isoscapes) needed for these geolocation efforts are being rapidly created—that is, for Mexico (Ammer, Kootker, et al, 2020; Juarez et al, 2018; see Figure 2), and the circum‐Caribbean region (Bataille et al, 2012; Laffoon et al, 2017; see Figure 3) as well as other parts of the world (Adams et al, 2019; Bataille et al, 2018, 2020; Daux et al, 2021; Gautam et al, 2020; Shin et al, 2020; Wang & Tang, 2020; Zieliński et al, 2021). These products, in conjunction with more regular use of isotope testing, should help foster more widespread application of the technique in the coming years.…”

Section: Databases and Forensic Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The use of stable isotopes in postconflict forensic identification

Chesson

Berg

2021

WIREs Forensic Science

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Stable isotope ratio analysis is becoming an extremely important tool for the forensic investigator. It can be particularly useful in missing persons investigations to help establish an unknown's identity by potentially reconstructing an individual's geolocational history, determining the number of individuals present in a case, and linking/separating remains from commingled assemblages. In this review article, we explore several main themes related to the use of stable isotopes in postconflict forensic identification. First, we describe what stable isotopes are and how global isotopic variation arises in human tissues via natural processes and cultural practices. Next, we discuss the selection of appropriate human tissue samples for examination based on testable hypotheses. We provide guidance on the options that exist for isotope sample preparation, analysis, and data handling; and finally, we examine which sample quality measures and quality assurance approaches should be used in isotope data reporting and interpretation. These themes are primarily presented to help the isotope data consumer understand the benefits and limitations of the technique that might not be apparent when sending samples to and receiving results from a high throughput, contract isotope testing laboratory. Real world examples of forensic stable isotope ratio analysis are provided within the article to highlight many of the concepts, particularly in regard to identification applications. This article is categorized under: Forensic Anthropology > Anthropology in Mass Disaster & War Crime Contexts Forensic Biology > Interpretation of Biological Evidence Forensic Chemistry and Trace Evidence > Emerging Technologies and Methods

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“…For example, environmental mercury pollution can be detected in the hair of humans that have a diet rich in fish [1]. Strontium in our drinking water reflects the distance between the freshwater source and the ocean and can, after becoming preserved in hair, assist forensic investigators in linking unidentified victims to the geographic area in which they lived [2,3]. Additionally, drug use is recorded in hair and can be detected with high temporal precision since hair grows at a known rate [4,5].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mapping the Chemistry of Hair Strands by Mass Spectrometry Imaging—A Review

et al. 2021

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Hair can record chemical information reflecting our living conditions, and, therefore, strands of hair have become a potent analytical target within the biological and forensic sciences. While early efforts focused on analyzing complete hair strands in bulk, high spatial resolution mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) has recently come to the forefront of chemical hair-strand analysis. MSI techniques offer a localized analysis, requiring fewer de-contamination procedures per default and making it possible to map the distribution of analytes on and within individual hair strands. Applying the techniques to hair samples has proven particularly useful in investigations quantifying the exposure to, and uptake of, toxins or drugs. Overall, MSI, combined with optimized sample preparation protocols, has improved precision and accuracy for identifying several elemental and molecular species in single strands of hair. Here, we review different sample preparation protocols and use cases with a view to make the methodology more accessible to researchers outside of the field of forensic science. We conclude that—although some challenges remain, including contamination issues and matrix effects—MSI offers unique opportunities for obtaining highly resolved spatial information of several compounds simultaneously across hair surfaces.

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Comparison of strontium isotope ratios in Mexican human hair and tap water as provenance indicators

Cited by 14 publications

References 52 publications

Assessing the Reliability of Mobility Interpretation From a Multi-Isotope Hair Profile on a Traveling Individual

Assessing the Reliability of Mobility Interpretation From a Multi-Isotope Hair Profile on a Traveling Individual

The use of stable isotopes in postconflict forensic identification

Mapping the Chemistry of Hair Strands by Mass Spectrometry Imaging—A Review

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