The effectiveness of the CA procedure parallels the tremendous improvement gained in latent fingerprint recovery by the addition of the ninhydrin process for porous materials in the 1950's. The preferential adhering characteristics of CA vapors to latent fingerprint residue has been responsible for many identifications that would not have been possible otherwise. Alternative processes and refinements related to the application of CA have been developed through research that aims to improve volatilization methods and enhance environmental conditions. These advances have enabled greater simplification of the CA procedure and have generally produced better results. Other factors, however, can also influence the degree of success obtained with CA processing. Based on personal observations gained from years of experience in the fuming of certain items, the authors note several precautions concerning normal CA fuming methods. They indicate that objects exposed to a large quantity of cigarette smoke for extended periods may not be suitable for CA fuming and that certain items of mass processed with CA vapors may have a slightly higher moisture content on their surfaces than items without mass.