The history of BLUESTAR® Forensic

From Luminol to BLUESTAR® : a brief history

The first experiments conducted with a view to using luminol as a tool in forensic sciences were conducted in 1937 by Specht, who tested it out on a variety of bases such as the lawn, bricks, or stone soaked in blood. In 1939, Proesher & Moody tested Specht’s composition on animal and human blood.

In 1951, Grodsky proposed a blend of powders made up of luminol, sodium carbonate, and sodium perborate mixed with distilled water. This subsequently became the formula that is still used by today’s investigators to detect traces of blood at the scene of a crime.

However, the use of sodium carbonate produces a slow reaction in the oxidization process of hemoglobin. It therefore is not very luminous and of brief duration only. Moreover, once the reactive agents dissolve in the water, the life of the solution obtained is very short. This formula is very unstable and is toxic, due to the presence of sodium perborate.

In 1966, Weber proposed a composition made up of luminol, sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide, hydrogen peroxide diluted in distilled water. The solution so obtained needs to be kept in a cool place away from direct light. Its lifespan is brief. The luminous reaction obtained by this composition can be photographed in total darkness, or filmed with a night-vision camera.

BLUESTAR® Forensic : a new Luminol-based formula

In 2000, Jean-Marc Lefebvre-Despeaux, president of BLUESTAR®, charged Loic Blum, Ph.D., professor of bio-chemistry at the University Claude Bernard-Lyon and director of the enzymatic and biomolecular engineering laboratory (EMB2-UMR 5013 CNRS-UCBL) to find a new formula that would be luminol-based and eliminate all those numerous inconveniences.

As a result, Blum discovered this new formula that was subsequently called BLUESTAR® Forensic.

It is now used by forensic investigators in more than 95 countries, and recognized as the most effective blood detector on the world market. Many studies and scientific publications have been carried out on BLUESTAR® Forensic. He is also cited in numerous newspaper articles in solving criminal investigations. You will find all this information on this website.

BLUESTAR® Forensic can be used to detect very small traces, but also very old ones. It is used in archeology to detect traces of blood dating back hundreds of years.