Disposable gloves are often used by the perpetrators of a crime to prevent the deposition of fingerprints and epithelial cells at a crime scene. When removed and discarded at the scene, these items of evidence are often analyzed by a Trace Evidence Unit. By evaluating basic physical and chemical characteristics, a comparison to a known glove can be made. However, it is unclear whether temperature and weather conditions at a crime scene can alter the characteristics of the glove, and have a detrimental effect on this evidence comparison. In this study, a variety of disposable gloves made of nitrile rubber, natural rubber latex, and polyvinyl chloride were studied to assess the relationship between environmental conditions and polymer characteristics. Samples were placed in evidence envelopes or immersed in distilled water at three different temperatures, and were analyzed after 0, 3, and 6 weeks. Analysis included thickness measurements, stereomicroscopy, and Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). Results demonstrate that disposable gloves are susceptible to physical changes when exposed to various conditions. A majority of gloves exhibited an increase in thickness measurements at a variety of temperature and moisture conditions. Several gloves — spanning all types and different brands — displayed subtle changes in surface texture and spectral data. Analysis was complicated by the fact that no glove is 100% polymer, but instead contains a variety of additives, including stabilizers, plasticizers, and dyes. Additional characterization with a quantifiable separatory method, such as Pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry, is therefore recommended to further elucidate the changes that can occur.

Diariamente uma batalha de grandes dimensões é travada em cidades espalhadas por todo o Brasil envolvendo, de um lado, milhares de estações de radiodifusão que operam clandestinamente (Rádios Piratas) e, de outro, órgãos responsáveis pela fiscalização e repressão da atividade ilegal. Os equipamentos irregularmente instalados, apreendidos nessas estações, são enviados aos laboratórios da criminalística para que sejam efetuados exames periciais, cumprindo o rito legal. Neste trabalho são abordados os aspectos forenses e periciais relativos ao tema realizando-se ainda uma análise técnica dos transmissores apreendidos pela Polícia Federal na Região Metropolitana de São Paulo quanto às suas características construtivas, potência e frequência permitindo uma avaliação quanto à potencialidade lesiva destes equipamentos, tomando como base informações extraídas de seiscentos e sessenta exames periciais do Departamento de Polícia Federal realizados pelo autor e por outros peritos criminais federais entre os anos de 2008 e 2011. / Daily, a battle of great proportions is engaged in cities throughout the country involving, on one hand, thousands of broadcasting stations illegally installed (Pirate Radios), and on the other, public entities in charge of monitoring and of the prosecution of such illegal activities. Improperly installed equipment are seized in these stations and sent to Criminalistics Laboratories of the Forensic Institutes for examination, thus fulfilling the legal requirements. The present dissertation deals with the forensic examination aspects of such seizures. The technical aspects of the transmission equipment arrested by the Brazilian Federal Police in the São Paulo Metropolitan Region were analyzed as to its various characteristics, such as workmanship involved, potency and frequency in order to evaluate among other things the potential damage caused by such equipment. The study was based on information obtained from six hundred and sixty forensic examination reports issued by the Forensic Examiners of the Brazilian Federal Police Department, including reports written by the author, between the years of 2008 through 2011.

Diariamente uma batalha de grandes dimensões é travada em cidades espalhadas por todo o Brasil envolvendo, de um lado, milhares de estações de radiodifusão que operam clandestinamente (Rádios Piratas) e, de outro, órgãos responsáveis pela fiscalização e repressão da atividade ilegal. Os equipamentos irregularmente instalados, apreendidos nessas estações, são enviados aos laboratórios da criminalística para que sejam efetuados exames periciais, cumprindo o rito legal. Neste trabalho são abordados os aspectos forenses e periciais relativos ao tema realizando-se ainda uma análise técnica dos transmissores apreendidos pela Polícia Federal na Região Metropolitana de São Paulo quanto às suas características construtivas, potência e frequência permitindo uma avaliação quanto à potencialidade lesiva destes equipamentos, tomando como base informações extraídas de seiscentos e sessenta exames periciais do Departamento de Polícia Federal realizados pelo autor e por outros peritos criminais federais entre os anos de 2008 e 2011. / Daily, a battle of great proportions is engaged in cities throughout the country involving, on one hand, thousands of broadcasting stations illegally installed (Pirate Radios), and on the other, public entities in charge of monitoring and of the prosecution of such illegal activities. Improperly installed equipment are seized in these stations and sent to Criminalistics Laboratories of the Forensic Institutes for examination, thus fulfilling the legal requirements. The present dissertation deals with the forensic examination aspects of such seizures. The technical aspects of the transmission equipment arrested by the Brazilian Federal Police in the São Paulo Metropolitan Region were analyzed as to its various characteristics, such as workmanship involved, potency and frequency in order to evaluate among other things the potential damage caused by such equipment. The study was based on information obtained from six hundred and sixty forensic examination reports issued by the Forensic Examiners of the Brazilian Federal Police Department, including reports written by the author, between the years of 2008 through 2011.