Scavenging high-voltage copper wire, a hazardous petty larceny

Himel, Harvey N.; Ahn, Linda C; Jones, Kendall C.; Edlich, Richard F.

doi:10.1016/0736-4679(92)90334-p

Cited by 7 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…Tin is ubiquitous in everyday items such as food packaging and beverage containers [15] that can be a source of touch DNA. Metal wires and cables [16][17][18] are often the subject of theft from buildings and equipment. Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) contain copper wires which may also be a source of touch DNA [19][20][21].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of metal ions on PCR inhibition and RT-PCR efficiency

2020

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Inhibition of PCR by metal ions can pose a serious challenge in the process of forensic DNA analysis. Samples contaminated with various types of metal ions encountered at crime scenes include swabs from metal surfaces such as bullets, cartridge casings, weapons (including guns and knives), metal wires and surfaces as well as bone samples which contain calcium. The mechanism behind the impact of metal ions on DNA recovery, extraction and subsequent amplification is not fully understood. In this study, we assessed the inhibitory effects of commonly encountered metals on DNA amplification. Of the nine tested metals, zinc, tin, iron(II) and copper were shown to have the strongest inhibitory properties having IC50 values significantly below 1 mM. In the second part of the study, three commercially available DNA polymerases were tested for their susceptibility to metal inhibition. We found that KOD polymerase was the most resistant to metal inhibition when compared with Q5 and Taq polymerase. We also demonstrate how the calcium chelator ethylene glycol-bis(2-aminoethylether)-N,N,N′,N′-tetraacetic acid (EGTA) can be used as an easy and non-destructive method of reversing calcium-induced inhibition of PCR reactions.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of metal ions on PCR inhibition and RT-PCR efficiency

2020

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“…18 Baker et al 19 published a case report regarding the "red gold" rush and severe electrical burns.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Electrical Injuries Due To Theft of Copper

Curinga

Pietramaggiori²,

Scherer³

et al. 2010

Journal of Burn Care & Research

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This study shows that the theft of copper, mainly from electrical wires, is becoming a more frequent crime as the value of this metal rises. We have collected all the data from the Burn Centre of the Hospital of Palermo, Italy, from 1992 to 2007. Over the last two decades, we assisted to a dramatic increase of patients admitted to our hospital, reporting burn injuries while attempting to steal it in dangerous conditions. The circumstances of the injury, the clinical management of the case, and the long-term consequences are presented and discussed. We found that the electrical burn related to the theft of copper is often a life-threatening event because of the high-voltage electrical current passing through the patients. Patients, due to the type of activity, often requiring physical effort, were generally young and healthy. From a review of the literature on the subject, we have noticed that theft of copper is not reported as an important risk factor for electrical burns. Our report clearly shows that theft of copper-related electrical injury is becoming more frequent in the community and should be added as a "new" risk factor. The already high incidence reported here may actually be lower than the actual incidence because many patients tend not to come to the hospital because of the risk of being prosecuted by the police.

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“…Accessed online at: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/uk/crime/article3165245.ece. Other studies report copper theft–related burns and injuries more generally, such as Himel et al (1992), Curinga et al (2010), and Taylor et al (2003).…”

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confidence: 99%