Strontium90 for determination of time since death

• Published in: Forensic science international Vol. 99; no. 1; pp. 47 - 51
• Main Authors: Neis, P., Hille, R., Paschke, M., Pilwat, G., Schnabel, A., Niess, C., Bratzke, H.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ireland Ltd 04.01.1999; Elsevier; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Acids; Adolescent; Adolescents; Adult; Biological and medical sciences; Biological effects of radiation; Bone and Bones - chemistry; Bone and Bones - metabolism; Bones; Child; Death; Fission products; Forensic Medicine - methods; Forensic pathology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Human remains; Humans; Investigations; Metabolism; Middle Aged; Nuclear fission; Radiation; Radiation measurement; Radiocontamination; Strontium Radioisotopes - analysis; Strontium Radioisotopes - metabolism; Strontium90; Time; Time since death; Tissues, organs and organisms biophysics; Bones; Time since death; Strontium90; Human remains; Human; Strontium; Osteoarticular system; Radioactive pollution; Age estimation; Legal medicine; Estimation; Radioactive contamination; Death; Bone
• ISSN: 0379-0738; 1872-6283
• DOI: 10.1016/S0379-0738(98)00175-3

Strontium90 (Sr90) is an artificial nuclear fission product of the atmospheric a-bomb testing between 1945 and 1979. It was spread throughout the atmosphere in the following years. Sr90 is an analogue to calcium and therefore enriched in human bones. Several studies especially in the 1960s and 1970s were undertaken to investigate the Sr90 burden and the resulting incorporated radiation in humans, but present studies are missing. In this study nine bone samples, three from 1931/32 and six from 1989 to 1994 were examined by measuring the Sr90 radiation. The samples from 1931/32 did not show any Sr90 activity. All the samples from 1989 and later showed a Sr90 activity, but the intensity was very variable. Subsequent investigations should be done to determine the cut-off year for measurable Sr90 activity. Furthermore the determination of a specific time since death depending on Sr90 activity should be possible, due to the ranging Sr90 pollution between 1950 and 1980 and different uptake in adolescents and adults.