article · Forensic Science International Reports
Degreasing skeletal remains is an essential step for the safe handling and long-term curation of bones in anatomical and forensic anthropology settings. Although trichloroethylene is widely used for this purpose in South Africa, it is costly, carcinogenic, and demands specialised equipment and trained operators, which limits its accessibility for resource-constrained institutions. To address the demand for safer and more affordable methods, an evaluation was conducted on five alternative chemicals: acetic acid, ammonia, bleach, ethanol, and peroxide. Their performance and impact on bone integrity were quantified using a macroscopic scoring system that assessed bone mass, colour variation, sediment and fat layer formation, morphological changes, and lingering odour after drying. Among the tested candidates, peroxide proved to be the most effective degreaser, offering a viable alternative that balances time efficiency, safety, and preservation of bone morphology.
Preparing and preserving human skeletal remains safely is vital for forensic investigations, medical training, and anthropological research. Replacing hazardous, expensive chemicals like trichloroethylene with accessible alternatives protects laboratory workers from carcinogenic exposure. Identifying safer, lower-cost agents such as peroxide allows resource-limited institutions to process and store skeletal specimens effectively without compromising bone integrity.
This research identifies peroxide as an effective replacement for hazardous degreasing compounds, enabling anatomical and forensic anthropology laboratories to adopt safer, cheaper specimen preparation protocols. The primary users are university anatomy departments, forensic facilities, and museum osteology collections looking to avoid expensive extraction machinery. Because the findings evaluate readily available commercial chemicals using applied testing, the approach is close to practical adoption in routine institutional workflows.
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Bone degreasing is a vital but challenging procedure to ensure that skeletal remains can be safely stored and handled particularly in the anatomical and forensic anthropological contexts. Trichloroethylene (TCE) is the chemical commonly used as a degreasing agent in South Africa; however, this chemical poses a few difficulties. Trichloroethylene is highly carcinogenic, requiring strict safety precautions during use. In addition, it is also costly, as it demands specialised equipment and skilled operators to ensure proper handling. For these reasons most institutions in South Africa are not financially able to make use of this degreasing technique. Therefore, a growing demand exists for a technique that matches the effectiveness of TCE, while posing fewer health risks and being more cost-effective. The aim of this study was to identify the most suitable degreasing alternative to trichloroethylene by investigating the effect of alternative chemicals on the macroscopic bone morphology. The degreasing effect of five other chemicals, of lower cost and health risks, namely acetic acid; ammonia; bleach; ethanol and peroxide were investigated, in hope of finding a suitable alternative which is time-efficient, effective and safe, while causing the least amount of destruction of bone. A macroscopic scoring system with various criteria i.e., bone mass, colour difference, sediment and fatty layer formation, morphological changes and odour after drying was used to quantify the amount of damage caused by the chemicals. According to the scoring system, peroxide was identified as the most successful degreaser in this study.
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DOI: 10.1016/j.fsir.2026.100514
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