5101 - A Model for Human Decomposition in Fresh Water and Salt Water
Sarah Langer
Lakefield District SS

Abstract


Introduction:
This investigation studied pig tissue decomposition in aquatic environments (salt water and fresh water) with the goal of contributing to the development of models for human decomposition in salt water and fresh water which currently do not exist. An early search of published literature on this topic revealed that few journal articles reported investigating the stages of human decomposition in fresh water and none reported investigating how salinity affects the rate of aquatic decomposition. This lack of information and my goal of post-secondary study in the area of forensic science were the reasons that I began my experiments in this area. Since the similarity of pig tissue composition to human tissue composition has long been recognized in medical practice, my experimentation focused on pig tissue decomposition and its possible application to human tissue decomposition.
The similarity of stages for decomposition of pig tissue in both salt and fresh water and the shocking difference in the time lines for fresh water and salt water decomposition in my early experiments inspired me to continue my studies with the goal of creating comparative models of aquatic decomposition in fresh water and in salt water. These models could be used in the field of forensics to aid investigators in determining the time of death for someone whose body has been found in a fresh water or salt water environment.

Purpose:
To study decomposition of pig tissue in fresh water and in salt water which can be applied to the development of models for human decomposition in an aquatic environment (fresh water and salt water).

Hypothesis:
The models will be similar in terms of the stages of decomposition but may have different time lines.

Method and Results:
Two containers were prepared to be placed in a temperature controlled environment- one container had fresh water and the other had salt water. Two pigs legs were placed in each container and the process of decomposition was carefully documented for each container. This study was replicated to confirm the stages of decomposition identified in the first experiment and the time frame of decomposition in salt water and in fresh water.
It was found that specimens placed in either fresh water or salt water passed through the same stages of decomposition but that the specimens placed in fresh water completed the stages of decomposition sooner than the specimens placed in salt water