Version	1	/	Date	of	Issue:	10.29.15	/	Issuing	Authority:	Forensic	Science	Standards	Board	(FSSB)

OSAC	Research	Needs Assessment Form

Title	of	research	need:

Keywords:

Submitting subcommittee(s): Date	Approved:

(If	SAC	review	identifies	additional	subcommittees,	add	them	to	the	box	above.)

Background	information:

1.	 Description	of	research	need:

Several	factors	have	combined	to	kindle	interest	in	the	organic	residues	produced	as	a	result	of	firearms	discharge	events.		

Primer	formulations	are	moving	away	from	traditional	formulations	containing	Ba/Pb/Sb	and	moving	toward	lead-free	

mixtures.		Additionally,	recent	advances	in	mass	spectrometry	have	made	detection	of	OGSR	possible	at	forensically	relevant	

concentrations.		What	is	needed	to	move	this	concept	toward	forensic	use	is	a	comprehensive	feasibility	study	that	integrates	

metadata	analysis	of	existing	literature,	method	development,	and	method	validation. Specifically	this	comprehensive	

research	program	should	address	or	consider:

• Stability	of	OGSR	on	sampling	media

• Sampling	compatibility	with	traditional	stubs	for	SEM/EDX

• Discriminating	power	of	selected	OGSR	compounds

• Additional	OGSR	targets	(i.e.,	nitroglycerin	and	nitrocellulose	degradation	products

• Persistence	and	secondary	transfer	characteristics

• Compatibility	with	existing	forensic	laboratory	instrumentation

• Population	studies	and	environmental	background

Comprehensive	Feasibility	of	Organic	Gunshot	Residue	Analysis

Organic	gunshot	residue,	data	analysis,	analytical	methods

GSR 11/28/16
Version	1	/	Date	of	Issue:	10.29.15	/	Issuing	Authority:	Forensic	Science	Standards	Board	(FSSB)

2.	 Key	bibliographic	references	relating	to	this	research	need:

3a.	In	what	ways	would	the	research	results	improve	current	laboratory	capabilities?

3b.		In	what	ways	would	the	research	results	improve	understanding	of	the	scientific	basis	for	the	

subcommittee(s)?

3c.		In	what	ways	would	the	research	results	improve	services	to	the	criminal	justice	system?

[1]	R.	V.	Taudte,	C.	Roux,	L.	Blanes,	M.	Horder,	K.	P.	Kirkbride	and	A.	Beavis.	The	Development	and	Comparison	of	Collection	Techniques	for	Inorganic	and	

Organic	Gunshot	Residues.	Anal.	Bioanal.	Chem.	2016,	408,	2567.

[2]	B.	Yeager,	K.	Bustin,	J.	Stewart,	R.	Dross	and	S.	Bell.	Evaluation	and	Validation	of	Ion	Mobility	Spectrometry	for	Presumptive	Testing	Targeting	the	Organic	

Constituents	of	Firearms	Discharge	Residue.	Analytical	Methods.	2015,	7,	9683.

[3]	R.	V.	Taudte,	C.	Roux,	D.	Bishop,	L.	Blanes,	P.	Doble	and	A.	Beavis.	Development	of	a	Uhplc	Method	for	the	Detection	of	Organic	Gunshot	Residues	Using	

Artificial	Neural	Networks.	Analytical	Methods.	2015,	7,	7447.

[4]	A.	Tarifa	and	J.	R.	Almirall.	Fast	Detection	and	Characterization	of	Organic	and	Inorganic	Gunshot	Residues	on	the	Hands	of	Suspects	by	CMV-GC-MS and	

Libs.	Science	&	Justice:	Journal	of	the	Forensic	Science	Society.	2015,	55,	168.

[5]	S.	Benito,	Z.	Abrego,	A.	Sanchez,	N.	Unceta,	M.	A.	Goicolea	and	R.	J.	Barrio.	Characterization	of	Organic	Gunshot	Residues	in	Lead-Free	Ammunition	Using	

a	New	Sample	Collection	Device	for	Liquid	Chromatography-Quadrupole	Time-of-Flight	Mass	Spectrometry.	For.	Sci	Int.	2015,	246,	79.

[6]	R.	V.	Taudte,	A.	Beavis,	L.	Blanes,	N.	Cole,	P.	Doble	and	C.	Roux.	Detection	of	Gunshot	Residues	Using	Mass	Spectrometry.	Biomed	Res.	Int.	2014,	DOI:	

10.1155/2014/965403.

[7]	Z.	Abrego,	N.	Grijalba,	N.	Unceta,	M.	Maguregui,	A.	Sanchez,	A.	Fernandez-Isla,	M.	Aranzazu	Goicolea	and	R.	J.	Barrio.	A	Novel	Method	for	the	

Identification	of	Inorganic	and	Organic	Gunshot	Residue	Particles	of	Lead-Free	Ammunitions	from	the	Hands	of	Shooters	Using	Scanning	Laser	

Ablation-Icpms	and	Raman	Micro-Spectroscopy.	Analyst.	2014,	139,	6232.

[8]	J.	L.	Thomas,	D.	Lincoln	and	B.	R.	McCord.	Separation	and	Detection	of	Smokeless	Powder	Additives	by	Ultra	Performance	Liquid	Chromatography with	

Tandem	Mass	Spectrometry	(UPLC/MS/MS).	J.	Forensic	Sci.	2013,	58,	609.

[9]	M.	Morelato,	A.	Beavis,	A.	Ogle,	P.	Doble,	P.	Kirkbride	and	C.	Roux.	Screening	of	Gunshot	Residues	Using	Desorption	Electrospray	Ionisation-Mass	

Spectrometry	(Desi-Ms).	For.	Sci	Int.	2012,	217,	101.

[10]	J.	Arndt,	S.	Bell,	L.	Crookshanks,	M.	Lovejoy,	C.	Oleska,	T.	Tulley	and	D.	Wolfe.	Preliminary	Evaluation	of	the	Persistence	of	Organic	Gunshot	Residue.	For.	

Sci	Int.	2012,	222,	137.

[11]	D.	Laza,	B.	Nys,	J.	De	Kinder,	A.	K.	D.	Mesmaeker	and	C.	Moucheron.	Development	of	a	Quantitative	Lc-Ms/Ms	Method	for	the	Analysis	of	Common	

Propellant	Powder	Stabilizers	in	Gunshot	Residue.	J.	Forensic	Sci.	2007,	52,	842.

This	study	would	be	foundational	and	essential	for	developing	and	integrating	organic	target	

compounds	into	a	comprehensive	analytical	method	for	detection	of	firearms	discharge	residue.

The	work	could	also	yield	options	for	development	of	presumptive	and	screening	tests.

The	research	will	vital	in	determining	the	characteristics	of	OGSR	and	evaluating	its	potential	as	

forensic	chemical	evidence.		
Version	1	/	Date	of	Issue:	10.29.15	/	Issuing	Authority:	Forensic	Science	Standards	Board	(FSSB)

4.		Status assessment	(I,	II,	III,	or	IV):		

This	research	need	has	been	identified	by	one	or	more	subcommittees	of	OSAC	and	is	being	provided	as	an	

informational	resource	to	the	community.

Major gap	

in	current	

knowledge

Minor gap	

in	current	

knowledge

No	or	limited

current	research	

is	being	

conducted

I III

Existing current	

research	is	being	

conducted

II IV

// Approval	date:

(Approval	is	by	majority	vote	of	subcommittee.		Once	approved,	forward	to	SAC.)

1.		Does	the	SAC	agree	with	the	research	need?				Yes					 							No							⃝		

2.		Does	the	SAC	agree	with	the	status assessment?				Yes															No							⃝	

If	no,	what	is	the	status assessment	of	the	SAC:

Approval	date:

(Approval	is	by	majority	vote	of	SAC.		Once	approved,	forward	to	NIST	for	posting.)

By	providing	methods	and	data	needed	to	integrate	OGSR	into	forensic	analysis.		It	is	anticipated	

that	organic	residues	will	at	the	very	least	provide	supplemental	information	to	GSR	

characterization	and	add	to	the	weight	and	value	of	evidence.	

I

Subcommittee 11/21/16

SAC

11/28/16