Forensic applications of 14C bomb-pulse dating

Abstract

After a brief review of the basics of ¹⁴C bomb-pulse dating, this paper presents two unique forensic applications. Particular attention is dedicated to the use of the ¹⁴C bomb-pulse to establish the time of harvest of illicit drugs such as heroin and opium. Preliminary measurements of ¹⁴C concentrations in milligram samples taken from seized drugs are presented. ¹⁴C bomb-pulse dating can determine whether drug distribution originates from stockpiles or recent manufacture, and support the action of law enforcement authorities against criminal organisations involved in drug trafficking. In addition, we describe the dating of wine vintages for a number of authenticated single label vintage red wines from the Barossa Valley – South Australia. Our results show that radiocarbon dating can be used to accurately determine wine vintages and therefore reveal the addition of unrelated materials of natural and synthetic origin.