Comparison of the effects of sterilisation techniques on subsequent DNA profiling.

It is important that contamination from extraneous DNA should be minimised on items used at crime scenes and when dealing with exhibits within the laboratory. Four sterilisation techniques (UV, gamma and beta radiation and ethylene oxide treatment) were examined for their potential to degrade contaminating DNA to such an extent that subsequent DNA profiling was impossible. This work indicated that the most successful technique to reduce DNA contamination was ethylene oxide treatment.