Countering the threat: New capability to detect hazardous ... · Countering the threat: New...
Transcript of Countering the threat: New capability to detect hazardous ... · Countering the threat: New...
Countering the threat: New capability to detect hazardous materials and Narcotics
Stephen Wood, Oxford UK
Setting the scene: recent incidents
Customs and law enforcement officers increasingly face hazardous materials…
2015 - TATP hidden in Motorcycle, Bangkok
VX Nerve agent KL, 2017
• Growth in production and use of new psychoactive substances NPS- some active at mcg levels
• Increasing availability of synthetic opiates (fentanyl, carfentanil etc.) – fatal dose in mg/mcg
Hazardous narcotics
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Capability gap
Need to improve:
• New capability
• Developed with UK and US Govt funding
• Identification through barriers AND direct line-of-sight
• No need to open or disturb containers
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Resolve™
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Through-Barrier Capability
New capability to detect & identify materials…
…in wide range of sealed non-metallic containers
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ID Through Non-Transparent Barriers
Explosive Flammable Oxidising Corrosive Toxic
Containers Sacks Opaque plastic Coloured glass Envelopes
Environmentally Damaging
Example of Screening a package
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• Line-of sight measurements, similar to conventional Raman ID systems
• Point and shoot Raman
Surface Scan Mode
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• Custom vial holder
• Quickly identifies samples within clear glass vials
Vial Holder Mode
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Simple to operate
• Opening packages to verify contents requires safety facilities and equipment
• Resolve removes the need to open parcels: ‒ Privacy is not
compromised
‒ Potential hazards remain contained
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Envelope / Parcel Screening
Narcotics New psychoactive substances Medicines Benign chemicals
Examples of Materials
Example: Fentanyl detection
• ~All variants of Fentanyl tested can be detected through-barriers
• High motivation not to open package- severe hazard!
Sample type Description Composition Resolve?
“Pure” Fentanyl and derivates
As smuggled in glass, plastic wrapping Customs Investigation agencies Postal Police
Chemically close to 100% Strong motivation not to open container
Direct Through-barrier
“Cut Fentanyl”
Manufacturing sites Smuggling Investigation agencies Postal Police
~10% Fentanyl Strong motivation not to open container
Direct Through-barrier
“Fake pills”
Street/Dealers “Greenies”: e.g. fake Oxycodone/Oxycontin Police
Contains a few mgs of Fentanyl per pill
Direct Works with SERS kit
“Fake heroin” Street/Dealers Police
10% Fentanyl ~30% Heroin HCl/Base
Caffeine Acetaminophen Amphetamines
Cathinones
Direct Works with SERS kit
Resolve v Fentanyl
• White powder – Clear plastic bag & yellow padded envelope
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Acetaminophen
• Cocaine mixed with excipients (lowest 9%), for example; ‒ Lactose
‒ Mannitol
‒ Benzocaine
Cocaine Mixtures
17% Cocaine / Lactose mixture Cocaine aqueous mixture in plastic pouch
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Cocaine “Bullets” and Wraps
Cocaine plastic wrap Cocaine “bullets”
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• Cocaine wrapped in multiple layers of tape, plastic wrapping and paper
• Identified as Cocaine in through-barrier mode
• Do not open container and risk unknown material release
• Time in protective equipment and breathing gear is used more efficiently
• Critical safety decisions can be made sooner
• Aids Global Shield programme of intercepting illicit pre-cursor chemicals used in IED’s
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General Chemical Identification
Toxic industrial chemicals Acids Organic solvents Chlorinated solvents Oxidizers Hydrocarbons Flammable liquids Alcohols
Examples of Materials
• Palm oil containers from West Africa
• Raw unrefined palm oil
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Palm Oil
• 25L Palm oil containers from West Africa
• Ammonium Nitrate/Sugar mixture (75/25)
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Ammonium Nitrate “IED”
• Dark powder – Amber glass
• Oxidizing materials set as a ‘Priority’
‒ Result displays in RED
Potassium Permanganate
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• Library packages: ‒ Standard
• Narcotics and NPS • Explosives • Household Chemicals • CWA’s
‒ Toxic and Hazardous Chemicals
‒ Comprehensive
• Can add chemicals to a custom library
• Can import an external library
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Libraries and Management
• Spatially Offset Raman Spectroscopy (SORS) enables detection and ID through typical containers:
• No need to open or disturb threat • Reduced risk of exposure to operator • Reduced risk of detonation • Genuinely new capability
‒ Safe, fast and accurate ‒ Now deployed worldwide
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Summary
• See a demonstration at our Booth!
Thank you for listening
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Appendix Slides
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• Sucrose is a weak Raman scatterer
• No prior knowledge of barrier or user input is needed
How Resolve Identifies Through Containers
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- Zero spectrum is dominated by HDPE
- Offset spectrum is dominated by sucrose
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Raman Spectroscopy
Greater absorption Greater fluorescence interference
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Why 830 nm excitation laser?
532 nm
Weaker Raman scattering (λ4) Less sensitive detectors
785 nm
830 nm
1064 nm
Note: The through-barrier capability primarily comes from SORS optics – not the laser!
A
“Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering” (SERS)
• What it is…
‒ Using metal nanostructures we can enhance the Raman signal by many orders of magnitude
• What it does…
‒ Enhances the signal from a small sample (<grain of sugar)
‒ Reduces fluorescence
• What we are developing
‒ Kit and/or app notes for detection of Heroin and “trace” levels of opioids
SERS
• Current library contains pure explosive materials (e.g. RDX and PETN) not mixtures (e.g. Semtex H)
• Resolve creates a mixture match from the individual components
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Semtex H (RDX/PETN)
Surface scan Through-barrier scan
• TNT concealed behind thick HDPE container
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2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene (TNT)
• TATB concealed within yellow HDPE container (4L African Palm Oil)
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1,3,5-Triamino-2,4,6-trinitrobenzene (TATB)
• Range testing of sensitive and primary explosives
• Resolve’s unique SORS geometry means: ‒ No detonation or
deflagration
‒ High quality data for material ID
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Examples: Sensitive Explosives
Silver fulminate Mercury fulminate Sodium azide Lead azide Silver azide Lead styphnate Black powder
Materials tested include:
HMTD TATP MEKP Nitrocellulose Nitroglycerine PLX Hydrogen peroxide 80% + dark fuel
NOTE – Care and caution should always be exercised when scanning sensitive materials. A thorough risk assessment should be made and normal safe operating procedures should be followed.
• Point-and-shoot ID
• Very sensitive material
• High quality spectrum
• No detonation
Silver Fulminate
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• Point-and-shoot and vial holder modes
• High quality data measured in 30-40 seconds
• No detonation/deflagration observed for any materials tested
Screening for Sensitive Explosives
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Sensitive Explosives in Vials
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SORS Scaled Subtraction
subtracted from
Scale factor x 1 = x 0.95 x 0.9 x 0.85 x 0.8 x 0.77
Zero Offset Measurement Spatially Offset Measurement
Match to contents reference spectrum
SORS Scaled Subtraction Result
Contents
• Do not open container and risk unknown material release
• Reduce possible safety and environmental impact
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Motivation #1: Safety
e.g. Will opening the container make the situation more dangerous? Liquid is contained but may become explosive when mixed with air
HAZMAT response
• Gain information without disturbing the IED / precursor and risking detonation
• When searching: opening a jar/bottle potentially endangers soldiers
• Gather intelligence before disrupting device (improves future operations)
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Motivation #2: Safety (cont.)
Military search, EOD, Special operations
• Max 1 hour Hazmat suit “wear time”
• Fast, simple, process (~30s), without taking a sample
• Time spent in “hotzone” is used more efficiently
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Motivation #3: Time
HAZMAT suits / Breathing apparatus
• External residue may not accurately represent contents (swab or surface Raman/IR analysis)
• Labels may not be correct or not present
• Correct information allows critical decisions to be made sooner
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Motivation #4: Accuracy
Lab search
“White powder incident”
• Illicit lab search
• Bottles that are correctly labelled can be ignored. Only suspicious items are examined further
• Allows crime scene and evidence to be examined in situ. Photographs can be taken and corroborating evidence generated
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Motivation #5: Legal
• Post lab fire clear up
• Each item had to be removed separately, decontaminated and a sample taken
• Cost $1,200 to $1,400 per sample + storage costs
• 2 week turn around
• Job took 4 months
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Motivation #6: Cost
Hazmat Warehouse clearance (private sector - SERCT)
• Air and seaport cargo inbound
• To open a fast parcel item it must first be quarantined and taken to a facility with fume hood and PPE
• RESOLVE could be an upstream screening tool
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Motivation #7: Efficient Screening
• Drugs a major problem in UK/US prisons
• In UK, cannot open prisoners mail with reasonable suspicion
• Some US prisons now do not allow any mail due to this problem
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Motivation #8: Privacy
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System Overview
Laser Fire button - Clear LED “laser armed indicator” - Protected by recess
Removable nose cone and alignment guidance system - Non-contact use - Reduces risk of contamination
Simple control and navigational keys Enter, X Back - Large, widely spaced, keys for easy gloved use - Positive feedback on press
Large 4.7 inch display - High contrast graphics for easy viewing - Display mode for high/low light levels