Law Enforcement Applications

Controlled Substance Detection
- Drug Lab Detection

Methamphetamine laboratories produce a chemical finger print that can be detected up to miles away from the source.  Volatile byproducts unique to the "cooking" process can lead investigators to drug labs.  Detection of these compounds in a residence can be used by the Department of Health to perform legal searches based on the possession of toxic chemicals. Grid sampling techniques can help to uncover large laboratories in remote areas.

Urban Terrorism

Sampling and analysis of chemical agents can be performed using MiniCan samplers. The inert, Silonite™ coating permits recovery of a wide range of chemicals, while the self contained vacuum allows a sample to be collected without any power source.

The rugged, stainless steel design can withstand decontamination with out damage when sampling in a level A containment area. Analysis is performed by GC techniques using automated sample recovery and injection. Analyzers can be placed in mobile laboratories for deployment to the release site.

Arson Investigation - Accelerant in Debris

The rate of accelerant detection in debris using Large Volume Static Headspace (LVSH) analysis can be 10-20 times faster than classical charcoal transfer methods.

Results can be obtained in less than 1 hour, allowing feedback to investigators while a potential crime scene is still secure.

Fast GC techniques can identify gasoline, common solvents, paint thinners, alcohols and other accelerants with a high degree of certainty.

Analyzers are compact enough to be used in vans and small mobile laboratories.

Direct Accelerant Vapor Collection

Accelerant vapors can be collected directly at the source using evacuated MiniCan samplers. This may be necessary when the only remaining accelerant detected is on a surface that is not easily recoverable (cement foundation). Screening can also be performed by sampling over multiple areas when exact locations can not be determined. Combining whole vapor collection techniques followed by automated sample concentration and analysis allows lower detection limits to be achieved more consistently and reliably.

Breath Analysis

Silonite loops combines the durability of stainless steel with the inertness of fused silica. Our coating process yields a smooth, inert surface with very low surface activity. Completely deactivated Silonite loops also available.