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The Role of DNA Identification in the Aftermath of September 11
By Hwaa Irfan 08/11/2001
Allah (swt) made every person unique in certain aspects of the mind and body. If we appreciated this uniqueness much more, instead of fearing differences, September 11 might not have taken place. But it did. As a result, one of the tasks still being faced is the identification of body parts still remaining in the wreckages. It is the most gruesome task that forensic scientists have ever had to face and ironically, it depends on the differences that make each of us unique - DNA.
DNA testing is the main form of forensic science being used to identify the victims of the World Trade Center Attack. This is because the asbestos riddled metallic forest that was once the World Trade Center, was felled by fuel implosion and high temperatures. This made standard victim identification, such as dental records and fingerprinting, impossible in most cases. In the rubble that was once the WTC, men from the Nacirema Environmental Services are removing body parts by hand and placing them into one of 30,000 body bags. These body bags are then taken to different points. From these points the body bags are shipped away in refrigerated trucks to the medical examiner's office in Manhattan. Some are identified through the long-standing methods of fingerprinting, jewelry, unique scars or marks and dental records. However, since the TWA Flight 800 crash, DNA testing had become obligatory - especially when there are too many bodies that are burned and as a consequence, have become indistinguishable (Benjamin & Simon, p.66-69).
To identify the victims of the attack using DNA, a number of steps are being taken:
1. To assist in the task ahead, Celera Genomics of Rockland, Maryland and Myriad Genetics of Salt Lake City, Utah were employed to analyze the samples that were to be tested.
2. Body tissues are being collected from the WTC site and delivered to Myriad Genetics.
3. Myriad Genetics then forms a "genetic fingerprint" from each sample that has been received (Trivedi, p. 1,2). This fingerprint is formed using DNA coding and identification.
4. Myriad then collects DNA samples from the families of suspected victims in the September 11 attacks. DNA samples have been collected by New York City Police (NYPD) and are operated by Lab Corp and the victim assistance facilities of the NYPD. Samples included personal items belonging to the missing person -like a toothbrush, eating and drinking utensils, hairbrush etc. Preference is given to samples that contain saliva. The most important source in unraveling the puzzle in order of importance is: DNA from maternal lineage relatives, then from both of the parents of the missing person and finally from the children of the missing person (nyc.gov, p.1, 2).
DNA profiling, better known as "DNA fingerprinting" involves the 22 chromosome pairs that resemble each other in males, and the 23 chromosome pairs in females. Each of these chromosomes consists of a very long strand of DNA. The site of a particular gene on the DNA is called a
"locus" (Hutchinson, p.122). Each gene may or may not be the same as its opposite number on the partner chromosome. When the two genes differ from each other, one may be dominant over the other. The one that is dominated over is called a
"recessive" gene. The dominant gene affects a characteristic of the organism such as eye color. In a few cases, dominance is determined by the gender of the parent from which it originates. This is called
"genome printing". Each person has about 60,000 different genes, each of which is an inherited molecular strand or a set of strands. A gene does not have a fixed sequence of coded information. The genes that carry viable, recognized information are what scientists use to 'translate' the information that is compiled (Bateson & Martin p.41, 63,64).
The task of DNA profiling can be complicated by the fact that once a cell is damaged in any way, the chromosome DNA disintegrates. For this reason, the heavily damaged samples collected at the WTC site have to be tested via another route - mitochondrial DNA.
Mitochondria are small organs within the cell that are responsible for energy production. Each mitochondria contains its own loop of DNA from which new mitochondria arises by dividing from the existing ones (Hutchinson, p.384).
Even until now, rescue workers are still searching amongst the rubble, but unfortunately due to time constraints, the chance of finding a part of human life that can be tested grows less likely by the day. To speed up the process, DNA collection centers offering various levels of support have been set up near the WTC.
At the DNA collection centers, several support services have also been provided, include counseling, mental health care, a hospital patient location system, residential services, additional assistance for grieving families visiting New York and a missing persons section. DNA collection centers also include a service for relatives of missing firefighters and NYPD police officers. However, relatives of missing foreign nationals have to contact their embassies.
Anyone who supplies DNA samples have been assured that they will only be used in the identification of the missing person (nyc.gov p.1).
Sources:
Bateson, Patrick & Martin, Paul. "Design for Life: How Behavior Develops." Britain: Vintage Books. 1999.
Benjamin, Daniel & Simon, Steven. "Shoulder to Shoulder." Time. 158:13(2001) 63-70
Hutchinson. "Dictionary of Science." Britain: Helicon Publishing. 1994.
Nyc.gov. "DNA Collection Press Release: Services Available to WTC Victims." 10/15/01.
Trivedi, Bijal. P. "DNA Analysis Aids Efforts to Identify New York Disaster Victims."
National Geographic Today. 10/15/01.
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