ASTM_E_2710_-_11e1.pdf

Designation:E2710111Standard Guide forPreservation of Charred Documents1This standard is issued under the fixed designation E2710;the number immediately following the designation indicates the year oforiginal adoption or,in the case of revision,the year of last revision.A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval.Asuperscript epsilon()indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.1NOTEEditorial corrections were made to Section 7 in May 2011.1.Scope1.1 This guide provides procedures that should be used byforensic document examiners(Guide E444)for the preserva-tion of charred documents.1.2 These procedures include evaluation of the sufficiencyof the material requiring preservation.1.3 The particular methods employed in a given case willdepend upon the nature of the material available for preserva-tion.1.4 This guide does not cover all procedures to preservecharred documents.Consultation with a document conserva-tionist,archivist,or related material expert,as well as referencematerials,may be necessary.1.5 This guide does not replace knowledge,skill,ability,experience,education,or training(Guide E2388)and should beused in conjunction with professional judgment.1.6 This standard does not purport to address all of thesafety concerns,if any,associated with its use.It is theresponsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-priate safety and health practices and determine the applica-bility of regulatory limitations prior to use.2.Referenced Documents2.1 ASTM Standards:2E444 Guide for Scope of Work of Forensic DocumentExaminersE2388 Guide for Minimum Training Requirements for Fo-rensic Document ExaminersE2711 Guide for Preservation of Liquid Soaked Documents3.Terminology3.1 Definitions of Terms Specific to This Standard:3.1.1 bone folder,na piece of shaped bone or othermaterial,such as plastic or Teflon,typically used by bookbind-ers to crease paper and to separate pieces of paper that are stucktogether.3.1.2 charred documents,ndocuments damaged by heator fire.3.1.3 parylene processing,nthe deposition of a clearpolymer coating on a document(s)within a vacuum chamber tostrengthen and stabilize the document(s).3.1.4 polyester film encapsulation,na process whereby adocument is sealed between two sheets of polyester film topreserve,stabilize,and facilitate handling.3.1.5 submersion,vthe placement of a document(s)intoan appropriate liquid to facilitate cleaning,unfolding,orseparation of the document(s).4.Significance and Use4.1 The procedures outlined here are grounded in thegenerally accepted body of knowledge and experience in thefield of forensic document examination and related fields.Byfollowing these procedures,a forensic document examiner canreliably process charred documents to optimize their preserva-tion.5.Interferences5.1 Items submitted for examination may have inherentlimitations that interfere with the procedures in this Guide.Limitations should be noted and recorded.5.2 The results of prior storage,handling,testing,or pro-cessing can adversely affect the preservation of the docu-ment(s).The document(s)should be immobilized as soon aspossible to minimize damage prior to its preservation.5.3 The extensive time required for some procedures andthe type of procedures chosen can conflict with investigativeneeds and other forensic examinations.Coordination with thesubmitter,experts in other forensic disciplines,and otherrelevant individuals might be warranted.5.4 Take necessary precautions to prevent disturbance of thecharred documents by air circulation in the examination area.1This guide is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee E30 on ForensicSciences and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee E30.90 on Executive.Current edition approved March 1,2011.Published March 2011.DOI:10.1520/E2710-11E01.2For referenced ASTM standards,visit the ASTM website,www.astm.org,orcontact ASTM Customer Service at serviceastm.org.For Annual Book of ASTMStandards volume information,refer to the standards Document Summary page onthe ASTM website.Copyright ASTM International,100 Barr Harbor Drive,PO Box C700,West Conshohocken,PA 19428-2959.United States1 6.Equipment and Requirements6.1 Appropriate light source(s)of sufficient intensity toallow fine detail to be distinguished.NOTE1Natural light,incandescent,LED or fluorescent sources,orfiber optic lighting systems are generally utilized.Transmitted lighting,side lighting,and vertical incident lighting have been found useful in avariety of situations.6.2 Magnification sufficient to allow fine detail to be distin-guished.6.3 Picks,such as dental picks,probes,and tweezers.6.4 Atomizer.6.5 Trays,tanks,and pliable screening.6.6 Bone folder or similar device.6.7 Polyester film or other encapsulation material,as re-quired.6.8 Imaging or other equipment for recording observations,as required.6.9 Other apparatus and supplies,such as cotton batting ornewsprint-lined boxes,plate glass stock,humidity chamber,laboratory oven,and chemic