• Question: If a finger print gets burnt, can you still identify it?

    Asked by kieran396 to Richard on 17 Jun 2011.
    • Photo: Richard Case

      Richard Case answered on 17 Jun 2011:

      Hi Kieran, Great question!

      Depends on the level of burn and when the burn took place…..

      If you were in a fire… and I hope you never do…it is likely that your body will go into what is called the “pugilistic pose”… this is where you bring your knees to your chest, your head down… and more importantly your hands clenched. By clenching your hands, you are also protecting your fingerprints and the skin on the hands would be last to be fully destroyed. So I have identified fire victims by prising open their hands and taking their fingerprints.

      If you were trying to get rid of your fingerprints on purpose, then you could damage them using fire, but it is likely that the skin will repair itslef over a short time. To cause permanent damage you would need to burn them for a long time, and I am not sure anyones pain threshold could take it.

      Even if you did, then you must remember that its not only your fingerprints that can be used to identify you… but also your palmprints or your bare footprints… they all work on the same principle,

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