hazmat ch13
Post on 22-May-2015
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Mission-Specific Competencies: Response to
Illicit Laboratories
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Objectives (1 of 4)
• Understand the role that all first responders have when encountering an illicit laboratory
• Describe how to recognize an illicit laboratory
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Objectives (2 of 4)
• Identify the manufacturing process and common chemical hazards associated with methamphetamine production
• Identify the different law enforcement agencies that could be involved in an investigation of an illicit laboratory
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Objectives (3 of 4)
• Understand the tactical considerations of securing an illicit laboratory while utilizing joint hazardous materials and explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) personnel to assess potential hazards
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Objectives (4 of 4)
• Describe the key concepts to be taken into consideration when analyzing, planning, and implementing a response to an incident involving an illicit laboratory
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Illicit Laboratories
• Unlicensed or illegal
• Can be in building or vehicle
• Manufacture, process, culture, synthesize– Illegal drugs– Hazardous material/WMD devices– Chemical or biological agents
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Identifying Illicit Laboratories (1 of 3)
• Methamphetamine production common
• Materials often illegally obtained– Tip off police about possible location– But sometimes first discovered by responders
• Drug laboratories often run by drug users– Use caution with these individuals
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Identifying Illicit Laboratories (2 of 3)
• Basements with unusual or multiple vents
• Buildings with heavy security
• Windows obscured
• Odd or unusual odors
• Motor homes are sometimes used
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Identifying Illicit Laboratories (3 of 3)
Motor homes are often used as mobile cooking laboratories.
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Drug Laboratories (1 of 2)
• Typically very primitive
• Everyday cookware among items used
• Many hazards present
• Little caution exercised by operators
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Drug Laboratories (2 of 2)
Materials used to manufacture drugs include items such as laboratory glassware and tubing.
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Methamphetamine (1 of 4)
• Can be produced by various methods
• Chemicals used also have legitimate uses
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Methamphetamine (2 of 4)
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Methamphetamine (3 of 4)
• Ephedrine and pseudoephedrine tablets often present
• Ground in household blenders
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Methamphetamine (4 of 4)
Ephedrine and pseudoephedrine, available at many pharmacies, are ground in household blenders as the
first step in methamphetamine production.
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Weapons of Mass Destruction Laboratories (1 of 3)
• Indicators– Terrorist training manuals– Ideological propaganda– Surveillance materials– Weapon supplies
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Weapons of Mass Destruction Laboratories (2 of 3)
Detonating cords may look like rescue rope to an uninformed responder.
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Weapons of Mass Destruction Laboratories (3 of 3)
• Explosive materials present may be dangerous– Notify explosive ordnance disposal (EOD)
personnel
• Operators of laboratory are also dangerous
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Chemical Laboratories (1 of 2)
• Can manufacture chemical warfare agents– Sulfur mustard– Blood agents such as cyanide– Choking agents such as chlorine
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Chemical Laboratories (2 of 2)
• Legitimate or improvised laboratory equipment
• Extremely dangerous chemicals– Precursor agents– Finished agents
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Biological Laboratories
• Bacterial agents (such as anthrax)
• Fungal agents
• Viral agents (such as Ebola)
• Toxins (such as ricin or botulinum)
• Just as dangerous as chemical laboratories
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Tasks and Operations (1 of 2)
• WMD laboratories rare, but present, in U.S.
• Illicit drug laboratories common
• Mines may protect perimeter
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Tasks and Operations (2 of 2)
Mines have been used to provide perimeter defense around the outside of laboratories.
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Notifying Authorities
• When laboratory is identified– Establish perimeter– Notify local law enforcement agency
• Joint agencies may be involved
• Secure and preserve the scene
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Determining Response Options
• Do not delay – Life-saving operations– Fire suppression
• When scene stabilizes, consider response actions to be taken next
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Securing and Preserving the Scene
• Minimize number of responders allowed into the illicit laboratory
• Confinement/containment of toxic waste
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Documenting Scene Activities
• IC (or designee) should identify every– Responder– Victim– Witness
• Photos, sketches, notes
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Personal Protective Equipment
• Responders should wear appropriate PPE
• Selection based on:– Detection and sampling results– Indicators observed on scene
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Detection Devices (1 of 2)
• Police rarely equipped with these
• Potentially flammable atmosphere dangerous with muzzle blast
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Detection Devices (2 of 2)
• Devices – Oxygen monitoring device– Combustible gas indicator– Radiation detection device– pH paper– Photo-ionization detector (PID)
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Decontamination
• Areas and equipment established before responder entry
• Suspects, too, will need decontamination
• Also SWAT, EOD, forensic, canine teams
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Remediation Efforts
• Management of illicit lab may be long term
• Evidence collection can take time
• Remediation may involve technical decontamination
• May include removal of a structure or soil
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Summary (1 of 2)
• The need for life-saving and fire suppression should be weighed against hazards posed to responders by illicit laboratories
• Illicit laboratories can involve a variety of processing methods
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• Materials and operators pose hazard to responders
• Early identification of hazards is important• Evidence should be preserved• Coordination, documentation, and
decontamination are important
Summary (2 of 2)
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