Shandon Xylene Substitute in Document Examinations
Gary Licht, Jerry Brown · Journal of the American Society of Questioned Document Examiners · 1999
A variety of practical applications were found for Shandon Xylene Substitute in the examination of questioned documents. This product is marketed as a non-carcinogenic substitute for xylenes, but does not have quite the same properties. The most useful properties of this xylene substitute are that it is non-destructive to inks, paper and plastics, is less volatile than xylene, and is only a weak solventof correction fluids. Its principal uses here have been to make paper translucent, thereby allowing obliterated writings to be read through the back side of the page. This translucent state also allows infrared examinations through the paper. Applications were made to cases involving obliterations made with correction fluids, overwritings, ink, and multiple layers of these materials. Shandon Xylene Substitute does not affect indented writings and ESDA examinations. It evaporates without leaving any odor, discoloration, or distortion.