Abstract
ABSTRACTThe effectiveness of three types of plastic bags used by the New South Wales Police Force for the storage of clandestine drug evidence has been investigated through a comparison of mechanical properties. The tensile and tear properties of “as received” low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) bags do not show major differences such that one type would be favoured over the other. However, the mechanical properties of the bags once exposed to a range of chemicals routinely collected as drug evidence have been shown to be influenced as a result of different chemical interactions. Although an interaction of reagents/solvents with an additive within the LDPE bags is proposed to influence the mechanical properties of the bags, the change in properties has been shown to be less severe than that observed for the PVC bag, where softening and damage of the bags results due to absorption of reagents.
Highlights
Sealable plastic bags provide an effective means of transporting and storing a variety of types of police exhibits
Three types of plastic evidence bags were provided by the NSW Police Force: Low-density polyethylene (LDPE) bags sourced from two different manufacturers and poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) bags sourced from a third manufacturer
The influence of chemical exposure on the mechanical properties of the PVC bags differed from that observed for LDPE: the elongation at break was notably increased while the tensile force decreased after exposure
Summary
Sealable plastic bags provide an effective means of transporting and storing a variety of types of police exhibits. This type of packaging has been widely adopted for evidence collection due to the ability to securely seal such bags, water resistance, transparency and the availability of a range of sizes [1,2]. A form of seized materials for which plastic bags are commonly employed is illegally manufactured drugs and their associated precursor chemicals. The visual and chemical degradation of evidence bags was demonstrated in a previous study, and it was suggested to systematically ensure that seized chemicals were stored in proper containers before being put into the plastic bag [5]
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