The analysis of gunshot residue (GSR) has been forensically relevant for many years and several methods are well characterized in scientific literature. However, the manufacture and distribution of lead-free alternatives to small caliber firearms ammunition is increasing rapidly as these types of rounds are more environmentally friendly and safer for use in indoor shooting ranges. Removing lead-containing compounds (e.g., lead styphnate) from the primer mixture eliminates a significant chemical marker vital to the legal precedent governing GSR analysis. The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard ASTM E1588-95 is no longer applicable to such residues. With this emerging market, the forensic community must develop and validate methods aimed at the detection of lead-free GSR on the hands of suspected shooters. This study investigated the use of Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) and Scanning Electron Microscopy Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (SEM-EDX) as means of characterizing simulations of lead-free primers and GSR originating from the discharge of lead-free blank training rounds, typically used by law enforcement. As a result, forensic investigators will be provided with: a chemical profile for lead-free GSR using LIBS; the fully characterized rates of error associated with this method for shooters and non-shooters; and the lifetime that forensically relevant quantities of lead-free GSR can be recovered from the hands of a suspected shooter. Additionally, this study serves as the first recorded comparison in the analysis of lead-free GSR via LIBS as a rapid and relatively non-destructive screening method followed by confirmation with SEM-EDX on the preserved evidence.
","abstract_html":"<p>The analysis of gunshot residue (GSR) has been forensically relevant for many years and several methods are well characterized in scientific literature. However, the manufacture and distribution of lead-free alternatives to small caliber firearms ammunition is increasing rapidly as these types of rounds are more environmentally friendly and safer for use in indoor shooting ranges. Removing lead-containing compounds (e.g., lead styphnate) from the primer mixture eliminates a significant chemical marker vital to the legal precedent governing GSR analysis. The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard ASTM E1588-95 is no longer applicable to such residues. With this emerging market, the forensic community must develop and validate methods aimed at the detection of lead-free GSR on the hands of suspected shooters. This study investigated the use of Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) and Scanning Electron Microscopy Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (SEM-EDX) as means of characterizing simulations of lead-free primers and GSR originating from the discharge of lead-free blank training rounds, typically used by law enforcement. As a result, forensic investigators will be provided with: a chemical profile for lead-free GSR using LIBS; the fully characterized rates of error associated with this method for shooters and non-shooters; and the lifetime that forensically relevant quantities of lead-free GSR can be recovered from the hands of a suspected shooter. Additionally, this study serves as the first recorded comparison in the analysis of lead-free GSR via LIBS as a rapid and relatively non-destructive screening method followed by confirmation with SEM-EDX on the preserved evidence.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Fambro, Lashaundra A."],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science in Chemical Sciences (MSCB)","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"Chemistry","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Dr. Christopher Dockery","Dr. Michael Van Dyke","Dr. Heather Abbott-Lyon"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2016,"date_issued":"2016-05-10T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2016-05-10T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:43:09Z","subjects":["lead-free","gunshot residue","laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy","evidence preservation","Analytical Chemistry"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/mscs_etd/6","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Dr. Christopher Dockery","Dr. Michael Van Dyke","Dr. Heather Abbott-Lyon"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Fambro, Lashaundra A."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2017-04-26T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Chemistry"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science in Chemical Sciences (MSCB)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["lead-free","gunshot residue","laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy","evidence preservation","Analytical Chemistry"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/mscs_etd/6"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The analysis of gunshot residue (GSR) has been forensically relevant for many years and several methods are well characterized in scientific literature. However, the manufacture and distribution of lead-free alternatives to small caliber firearms ammunition is increasing rapidly as these types of rounds are more environmentally friendly and safer for use in indoor shooting ranges. Removing lead-containing compounds (e.g., lead styphnate) from the primer mixture eliminates a significant chemical marker vital to the legal precedent governing GSR analysis. The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard ASTM E1588-95 is no longer applicable to such residues. With this emerging market, the forensic community must develop and validate methods aimed at the detection of lead-free GSR on the hands of suspected shooters. This study investigated the use of Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) and Scanning Electron Microscopy Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (SEM-EDX) as means of characterizing simulations of lead-free primers and GSR originating from the discharge of lead-free blank training rounds, typically used by law enforcement. As a result, forensic investigators will be provided with: a chemical profile for lead-free GSR using LIBS; the fully characterized rates of error associated with this method for shooters and non-shooters; and the lifetime that forensically relevant quantities of lead-free GSR can be recovered from the hands of a suspected shooter. Additionally, this study serves as the first recorded comparison in the analysis of lead-free GSR via LIBS as a rapid and relatively non-destructive screening method followed by confirmation with SEM-EDX on the preserved evidence.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Lead-Free Gunshot Residues as Forensic Evidence"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Dr. Christopher Dockery","Dr. Michael Van Dyke","Dr. Heather Abbott-Lyon"],"dc:creator":["Fambro, Lashaundra A."],"dc:date.available":["2017-04-26T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["The analysis of gunshot residue (GSR) has been forensically relevant for many years and several methods are well characterized in scientific literature. However, the manufacture and distribution of lead-free alternatives to small caliber firearms ammunition is increasing rapidly as these types of rounds are more environmentally friendly and safer for use in indoor shooting ranges. Removing lead-containing compounds (e.g., lead styphnate) from the primer mixture eliminates a significant chemical marker vital to the legal precedent governing GSR analysis. The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard ASTM E1588-95 is no longer applicable to such residues. With this emerging market, the forensic community must develop and validate methods aimed at the detection of lead-free GSR on the hands of suspected shooters. This study investigated the use of Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) and Scanning Electron Microscopy Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (SEM-EDX) as means of characterizing simulations of lead-free primers and GSR originating from the discharge of lead-free blank training rounds, typically used by law enforcement. As a result, forensic investigators will be provided with: a chemical profile for lead-free GSR using LIBS; the fully characterized rates of error associated with this method for shooters and non-shooters; and the lifetime that forensically relevant quantities of lead-free GSR can be recovered from the hands of a suspected shooter. Additionally, this study serves as the first recorded comparison in the analysis of lead-free GSR via LIBS as a rapid and relatively non-destructive screening method followed by confirmation with SEM-EDX on the preserved evidence.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/mscs_etd/6"],"dc:subject":["lead-free","gunshot residue","laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy","evidence preservation","Analytical Chemistry"],"dc:title":["Lead-Free Gunshot Residues as Forensic Evidence"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Chemistry"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science in Chemical Sciences (MSCB)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:43:09Z"}