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Academic Excellence Showcase Proceedings Student Scholarship

2012-05-31 Examining the Effects of Corrosive Household Chemicals on Bone and Tissue Trish Dowell Western Oregon University, [email protected]

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Citation Dowell, Trish. "Examining the Effects of Corrosive Household Chemicals on Bone and Tissue." Poster presented at the Academic Excellence Showcase, Western Oregon University, May 31, 2012.

This Poster is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Scholarship at Digital Commons@WOU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Academic Excellence Showcase Proceedings by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons@WOU. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]. ABSTRACT In popular media, criminals attempt to dispose of their victims by Examining the Effects of Corrosive Household Chemicals using various chemicals to dissolve the corpses. This research investigates the effects of household chemicals on the degradation of bone. Vertebrae from a domestic pig (Sus scrofa domesticus) will be immersed into five corrosive agents: drain-cleaner, lye, , oven- on Bone and Tissue cleaner, and cola. Tap water will serve as the control. Color, size, and weight of bones will be documented over time. I expect drain-cleaner, lye, and oven-cleaner to thoroughly degrade the bone, cola to cause mild degradation, and bleach and tap water to produce the least Trish Dowell degradation.

I cut the pig vertebrae into pieces, trying to make them as similar in size as possible, Specimen 3: Bleach Specimen 6: Sulfuric Acid INTRODUCTION leaving the flesh intact. Each specimen measured between 5-6” in length, 2.5-4” in width, and 1-2” inches in height. The ways in which perpetrators attempt to dispose of their victims range from I washed, rinsed, dried, and labeled the buckets. carelessly leaving the corpse in a shallow grave to total annihilation of the I then measured each piece of vertebrae and recorded the height, length, width, and body through fire or even chemical means. Mexican-American drug cartels weight of each specimen. I also took pictures and noted visual appearance. I placed have been known to dispose of their victim's bodies by placing the corpses in each specimen into a labeled bucket and, making a note of the time, I added each containers and adding strong chemicals such as acids or lye to attempt to Figure 17: Beginning specimen Figure 18: Bleach 12:43 pm Figure 19: 1st observation 1:09 am corresponding chemical and placed the buckets in separate safe locations outdoors. I Initial measurements: 6.25”x4”x1.5” Measurements: 5.5”x4”x1.5” Figure 38: Beginning specimen Figure 39: Sulfuric acid 1:03 pm Figure 40: 1st observation 1:24 am completely dissolve the bodies (Palmer, 2009). Even in popular media, such as photographed the specimens in the chemicals and covered the buckets with poly Weight: 8 oz Weight: 7.5 oz Initial measurements: 5.25”x3.5”x1” Measurements: 4”x3.25”x1” Weight: 7 oz Weight: 5 oz books, movies, and television, disposal of bodies via the use of strong sheets. chemicals is a prevalent method. For example, in the second episode of the After 12 hours I photographed, visually inspected, and recorded the results. I then show Breaking Bad, the main characters attempt to dispose of a body using a placed the specimens back into their chemical and returned them to their bathtub and hydrofluoric acid. Unfortunately for the characters, the acid is so holding areas. After another 12 hours I photographed, visually inspected, and strong, it destroys the corpse, as well as the bathtub, the floor supporting the recorded the results. Thus, observations were made over a period of 24 hours. tub, and the floor below that (Helmenstine, 2008). Figure 20: Bleach after 24 hours Figure 21: Ending specimen 12:51 pm With all this media supporting the use of chemicals as a means of body Figure 41: Sulfuric acid after 24 hours Figure 42: Ending specimen 1:21 pm Measurements: 5.5”x4”x1.5” Measurements: 4”x3”x1” disposal, I wondered just how accurate the information was. I decided to Weight: 8 oz RESULTS Weight: 4 oz research a variety of corrosive, easily accessible household chemicals and test Bleach Bleach 0 0 -0.75 0 how well each one would destroy bone and soft tissue in a short period of time 2 Sulfuric Acid Sulfuric Acid Height change Width change Length change Specimen 1: H2O (Control) 1.5 -0.2 0 -0.5 -1.25 -3 0 (24 hours). I chose to work with carbonated soda, bleach, , 0 1 -0.4 Height change Width change Length change

inches Weight Change ounces -1 -0.5 0.5 -0.6 , and sulfuric acid. I briefly considered testing Weight Change -2

0 -0.8 inches -1 hydrofluoric acid, but since even splashing a small amount onto your skin can 0 ounces -3 Figure 22: Bleach weight change results Figure 23: Bleach mass change results -4 -1.5 become fatal, I decided to forgo that particular test. I hypothesize that the Figure 43: Sulfuric acid weight change results Figure 44: Sulfuric acid mass change results chemicals will offer a variety of results. The soda and bleach will likely have very little effect on soft tissue and bone degradation. The Specimen 4: Potassium Hydroxide and potassium hydroxide will likely cause slight loss of mass to the soft tissue Figure 3: Beginning specimen Figure 4: H2O 12:22 pm Figure 5: 1st observation 12:57 am and bone. I believe that the sulfuric acid will cause the most significant Initial measurements: 5.5”x3”x1.25” Measurements: 5.5”x3”x1” CONCLUSIONS Weight: 6 oz degradation of all the chemicals. Weight: 7 oz 7 5 6 4 5

3 4 Width Beg Length Beg. Width 12hrs 3 2 Length 12hrs 2 Width 24hrs Length 24hrs

inches inches 1 1 Width change Length change st 0 0 Sodium Hyd. Bleach Control H2O Figure 26: 1 observation 1:12 am -1 Figure 24: Beginning specimen Figure 25:Potassium hydroxide 12:49 pm Sodium Hyd. Bleach Control H2O Sulfuric Acid Pot. Hyd. Cola Initial measurements: 5.5”x4”x2” Measurements: 4.5”x4”x2.5” -1 Sulfuric Acid Pot. Hyd. Cola -2 MATERIALS Weight: 8 oz Weight: 9 oz Figure 45: Width change results: all specimens Figure 46: Length change results: all specimens

3 12 10 Figure 6: H2O after 24 hours Figure 7: Ending specimen 12:38 pm 2.5 8 Figure 1: Chemicals and buckets Figure 2: Safety equipment, Measurements: 5.5”x3”x1” 2 Weight Beg Height Beg 6 measuring tools & specimens Weight: 7 oz 1.5 Height 12hrs Weight 12hrs 4 Weight 24hrs 1 Height 24hrs Figure 1: inches 2 Weight Change Height change ounces 0.5 0 *(6) white gallon buckets: cleaned, dried, and labeled Sodium Hyd. Bleach Control H2O Control H2O 0 -2 Sulfuric Acid Pot. Hyd. Cola Control H2O Sodium Hyd. Bleach Control H2O -0.25 0 0 Sulfuric Acid Pot. Hyd. Cola -4 0 -0.5 *Tap water (control) 1.2 1 Height change Width change Length change Figure 47: Height change results: all specimens Figure 48: Weight change results: all specimens 1 -0.05 Figure 27: Potassium hydroxide after 24 hours Figure 28: Ending specimen 12:58 pm *Enforcer Crystal Heat® (Sodium Hydroxide) 0.8 -0.1 0.6 -0.15 Measurements: 4.5”x4”x2”

ounces 0.4 *Clean Shot® drain opener (Sulfuric Acid) inches -0.2 Weight: 10 oz 0.2 Weight Change The overall results of this experiment verified my hypothesis. Specimen 1 in the H2O (the *Coca Cola® carbonated soda 0 -0.25 -0.3 Potassium Hydroxide Potassium Hydroxide control) (figures 3-9) showed very little degradation, just some minor water weight gain. *Oven Brite® oven cleaner (Potassium Hydroxide) Figure 8: H2O weight results Figure 9: H2O mass change results 2.5 1 0.5 Specimen 2 in the soda (figures 10-16) and specimen 3 in bleach (figures 17-23) showed 2 0 -1 *Bleach 2 0 some discoloration, but no appreciable degradation of tissue or bone. Specimen 4 in 1.5 Height change Width change Length change 1 inches -1 potassium hydroxide (figures 24-30) increased in mass and showed a slight degradation of Figure 2: ounces 0.5 Weight Change -2 the tissue. Specimen 5 in sodium hydroxide (figures 31-37) showed a slight decrease in *(6) spinal sections of a pig (Sus scrofa domesticus): cut into fairly equal Specimen 2: Carbonated Soda 0 Figure 29: Potassium hydroxide weight results Figure 30: Potassium hydroxide mass change results sizes (approximately 5-6”x 3-4”x 1-2”), flesh was left intact weight and had more obvious tissue degradation, but very little effect on the bones. Specimen 6 in sulfuric acid (figures 38-44) showed the most appreciable decrease in mass and weight *Food scale Specimen 5: Sodium Hydroxide and close to half of the specimen was visibly degraded. Given another 48 hours, I believe the *Plastic tongs entire specimen would have been completely eroded. *Safety goggles The results indicate that some chemicals may be used effectively by criminals to dispose of a *Safety gloves body. The sulfuric acid is particularly potent. Because of its availability to the public, it is *Measuring tape possible that criminals will continue to dispose of their victims with this easily attainable chemical. Law enforcement and legislative groups should consider requiring identification in st Figure 10: Beginning specimen Figure 11: Soda 12:25 pm Figure 12: 1 observation 1:03 am order to purchase this dangerous substance to help track these dangerous criminals. METHODS Initial measurements: 6.25”x3”x1.25” Measurements: 6”x3”x1.5” Weight: 6 oz Weight: 7 oz Figure 31: Beginning specimen Figure 32: Sodium hydroxide 12:57 pm Figure 33: 1st observation 1:18 am In a review of the literature, studies indicated that hydrochloric acid is very Initial measurements: 6”x2.5”x1.5” Measurements: 6”x2.5”x1.5” Weight: 8 oz Weight: 7 oz REFERENCES effective in destroying soft tissue and bone. Sulfuric acid was considered the second most corrosive chemical (Hartnett, Fulginiti, and Di Modica, 2011). 3E Company. Sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide are often employed by assassins 2012."MSDS Solutions Center." MSDS Solutions.http://www.msds.com/. Hartnett, Kristen M., Laura C. Fulginiti, and Frank Di Modica. as means of body disposal. One criminal, Adolph Luetgert, disposed of his 2011. "The Effects of Corrosive Substances on Human Bone, Teeth, Hair, wife's body by placing it into a boiling vat of lye in 1897, and then burned Figure 13: Soda after 24 hours Figure 14: Ending specimen 12:45 pm Nails, and Soft Tissue."Journal Of Forensic Sciences (Blackwell Publishing what was left (Palmer, 2009). Measurements: 6”x3”x1.5” Limited) 56, no. 4: 954-959. Based on my findings and the availability to readily purchase the chemicals, Weight: 7 oz Helmenstine, Anne Marie. Figure 34: Sodium hydroxide after 24 hours Figure 35: Ending specimen 1:13 pm 2008. "Hydrofluoric Acid - Breaking Bad." About.com Chemistry. I decided to conduct my experiment using the following: Carbonated soda, Measurements:6”x2.5”x1.5” Weight: 7 oz http://chemistry.about.com/b/2008/02/12/hydrofluoric-acid-breaking-bad.htm. Bleach, Potassium Hydroxide, Sodium Hydroxide, Sulfuric Acid and Water Cola Cola 1.2 0.4 Sodium Hydroxide Palmer, Brian. 1 0.25 Sodium Hydroxide 1 -1 (as a control). 0.2 0 2009. "How Long Does It Take to Dissolve a Human Body?" Slate Magazine. 0.8 1 0 -0.25 Weight Change 0.6 0 -0.5 http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/20 inches I then conducted research on the MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheets) for ounces 0.4 Height change Width change Length change -0.2 0.5 0.2 Weight Change ounces -1

inches 0 0 0 09/12/soluble_dilemma.html each chemical to make sure I was taking the proper safety precautions (3E 0 -0.4 -1.5 0 Height change Width change Length change Pompilio, Natalie. Company, 2012). I gathered supplies and materials, some of which I had at Figure 15: Soda weight results Figure 16: Soda mass change results Figure 36 : Sodium hydroxide weight results Figure 37: Sodium hydroxide mass change results – 2010."Coming Through the Lye." Obit. http://obit-mag.com/articles/coming-through home and some I purchased. the-lye.