Conduction of a round-robin test on a real sample for the identification of gunshot residues by SEM/EDX.

A round-robin test on the identification of GSR particles by SEM/EDX and involving eleven Institutes was conducted on a real sample, in order to evaluate the possibilities/limitations of using such sample to get additional information (compared to the analysis of the usual synthetic sample used within the framework of the ENFSI proficiency test) about the performances of the SEM/EDX systems. Each Institute was asked to analyse this sample following its own standard operating procedure, and by using all the systems in house, whenever available. Between each Institute, a check of the sample was performed by the organizing Institute (NICC), in order inter alia to monitor any degradation and/or contamination of the sample.

Survey on batch-to-batch variation in spray paints: a collaborative study.

This study represents the most extensive analysis of batch-to-batch variations in spray paint samples to date. The survey was performed as a collaborative project of the ENFSI (European Network of Forensic Science Institutes) Paint and Glass Working Group (EPG) and involved 11 laboratories. Several studies have already shown that paint samples of similar color but from different manufacturers can usually be differentiated using an appropriate analytical sequence.