Crash Investigators Follow Dna Strands

Investigators identified a victim of the TWA Flight 800 explosion by examining DNA on toothbrushes at his home, a striking example of how useful genetic analysis can be in a disaster.

In a few years it might become the main tool investigators use, if scientists can find ways to make the analysis faster, said the man in charge of DNA identification for Flight 800.

Even now, “DNA should be used in any mass disaster,” said Jack Ballantyne, supervisor of biological sciences at the Suffolk County Crime Laboratory in Hauppauge, N.Y.

To use the technique, investigators compare DNA taken from the remains with DNA obtained from close relatives of people known to have been in a crash. If samples from relatives aren’t available, investigators can get DNA from hairbrushes, dirty laundry or toothbrushes in the homes of the victims.

Toothbrushes work because a person scrubs microscopic bits of tissue from the gums and lining of the mouth while brushing.

Flight 800 crashed off Long Island last July, killing all 230 people aboard. The vast majority of remains were identified by dental records, either alone or in combination with other methods like fingerprints and unusual features on X-rays.

But the remains of seven people were identified through DNA analysis alone, Ballantyne said.