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RESOURCES

GKA Analytical Services conducts ongoing research into fire debris related topics to assist our examiners in the field and to contribute to the knowledge base of fire investigation as a forensic discipline.

We regularly publish papers in professional journals and post technical bulletins on this. If you would like to participate in research with us, please view our current list of research topics.

A study into the long-term storage of fire debris samples archived on activated charcoal strips

03 Mar 2023

Verification of sample storage methods is required to ensure that sample material is not lost or altered over the long term. This study aims to assess the long-term storage methods used in our laboratory.

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A survey of Australian petrol and diesel fuel

21 May 2020

Maintaining contemporary reference collections of ignitable liquids is important for all fire debris laboratories. A large-scale survey of fuel products will allow for current trends in composition and geographical differences to be established.

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Are expert fire examiners able to identify ignitable liquids by scent better than laypersons?

11 Dec 2019

Ignitable liquids are composed of volatile organic compounds which produce varied odour profiles. This study seeks to determine whether fire examiners are able to identify liquids based on scent alone.

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Investigation of kitchen exhaust duct contents

13 Nov 2018

Kitchen exhaust ducts contain a large amount of oil residues. This research project aims to examine these residues from a forensic chemistry perspective.

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Creation of an animal and vegetable oil database

04 Feb 2018

Animal and vegetable oils are composed of various fatty acids. This project aims to establish a database of oil chromatograms to aid in their analysis and classification.

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Analysis of the prevalence of terpenes in chewing gums

27 May 2016

Chewing gums often contain terpene compounds. The objective of this research is to assess the relevance of these terpene compounds to the fire debris analyst.

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An investigation into consumption and disturbance of electrical wiring by rodent activity

06 Jul 2015

This research aims to establish the conditions under which rodents may consume or otherwise disturb electrical wiring in a building and what affect this may have on fire risk.

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