HazMat Technician Training Equipment

Wear level A protective clothing

Approach cautiously from upwind

• Measure in the FOLLOWING order:
• Radioactivity
• Combustibility
• Oxygen availability / deficiency
• pH, if liquid
• Hydrogen sulfide (if in areas of or adjacent to petroleum refining activities)
• Carbon Monoxide
• Organic vapors

Geiger Counter, Dosimeter, Thermal Luminescent Dosimeter (TLD)

Two or more types of radiation (for example, a Geiger Counter can measure both gamma and beta)

Alpha particles, beta particles, gamma rays, neutron particles.

Combustible Gas Indicator (CGI), Multi-Gas Monitor, PID, FID

(Flammability Monitoring Technology) CGI can be used to determine presence of flammable vapors of hydrocarbons.

The flammable vapors are measured as a percentage of the lower explosive limit.

• (Flammability Monitoring Technology) Allows the responder to determine:
• -Flammability of an unknown material fairly accurately
• -Class of flammable or combustible being dealt with

They can measure oxygen content and several toxic substances as well as combustible gas vapors.

Oxygen Meters to test oxygen rich atmosphere.

Oxidizer paper to test presence of oxidizers.

Oxygen is easily released, especially when heated, accelerating burning of combustible material.

pH-Litmus dye, pH paper, pH meters

By determining pH of material. (pH-Litmus dye, pH paper, pH meters)

pH meters with a probe that is inserted into the material. It offers a more accurate reading, but needs to be rinsed every time.

Photoionization detectors, flame ionization detector, infrared spectrophotometers and detector tubes (can measure more than one chemical)

They allow responders to quickly evaluate potential hazards by drawing air samples through a small glass tube. This process causes material inside the tube to change indication of the material.

Biological immunoassay indicators, DNA fluoroscopy, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and hand held assays

The virulence of a pathogen. Virulence refers to how ill an individual may become.

Sending it to a laboratory that is a CDC certified Laboratory Response Network Facility.

Proper sampling, collection techniques, and evidence preservation and control.

Tests for anthrax, ricin, botulinum toxin, plague, tularemia, Brucella and orthopox.

Immunoassays are quick and accurate tests that can be used on-site and in the laboratory to detect specific molecules.

False negative or false positives.

Porous surfaces could hinder effectiveness of assay.

Rapid field detection of biological warfare agents by detecting specific antibodies.

Needs only minor field maintenance based on IAW Manufacturers Specification.

Detects specific gases and vapors.

Will not provide quantitative results.

Can’t interchange different manufacturer tubes.

False positives.

Not very accurate and interpreting color change can be difficult.

Tubes have a shelf life and are affected by humidity and temperature (so they must be monitored).

Response time varies material to material.

The tubes are filled with different reagents that react with material being test. If certain hazardous materials are present, the reagent changes color and produces a stain.

A bellows or piston tube draws samples through tubes.

Requires field calibration and minor field maintenance.

Measures acidity or alkalinity of a corrosive material.

The meters provide a more accurate reading than pH paper / strips and are commercially available.

Probes must be thoroughly rinsed with distilled water before and after each use.

Close proximity to the material.

Can be affected by oils or other contaminants.

Meters have a probe that is inserted into the material and the pH level is indicated on a display screen

Must be calibrated before each use and requires minor field maintenance.

Chemical reaction changes the color of the paper.

False positives are possible.

Must have accurate color perception.

On a liquid sample.

No field calibration or maintenance required.

A substance or solution combined with a material causing a chemical reaction.

Designed for specific chemical or biological material.

Used in some detection devices such as calorimetric tubes.

Requires minor field maintenance.

Tests for chemical agents.

Instantly detects common chemical agents in the atmosphere (aerosolized) or surface liquid.

Readings need to be verified with another instrument.

They are designed to measure relative flammability of gases and to determine the percent of the lower explosive limit (LEL).

Measure concentration of a combustible gas or vapor in atmosphere.

Used to determine presence of flammable vapors and hydrocarbons.

When the strips come in contact with the substance, it changes color.

Has a self-contained reliable and easy to read sensor.

Has a wearable chemical indicator that can be worn by first responders.

Requires minor field maintenance.

Intended for us in normal atmospheres, not oxygen rich atmospheres. The reading are affected when oxygen levels deficient (lower readings).

Requires a warm up period to heat up platinum catalyst inside.

Does not identify other hazards such as toxicity.

Operating filament is damaged by certain materials such as silicone, tetraethyl lead and acid gas but can be reduced through use of filter.

Operates via catalytic combustion. The sample is drawn across a surface of heated platinum. If the sample is flammable, it will burn the platinum catalyst.

Heat produced in proportion to amount of combustible gas present.

Heated surface is connected to an electrical circuit known as a Wheatstone bridge, so the increase in temperature can give corresponding indication on the meter.

Meter may read in LEL, ppm, or percent by volume.

Frequently found as combination compressed gas indicator (CGI) / oxygen meter, or as triple combination meter with a third gas.

Requires field calibration and minor field maintenance.

Identifies specific DNA sequences, which enables it to detect and identify different biological agents.

Quantitative monitoring of DNA via PCR.

On-scene field detection is presumptive but the “gold standard” continues to be laboratory identification.

Used to determine pathogenicity on scene.

Requires minor field maintenance and field calibration.

Measures percentage of oxygen in atmosphere.

Should be able to measure in both oxygen rich and oxygen enriched atmosphere for flammable material.

May have passive sensor that draws in air.

Can be individual unit or combined with CGI.

Some materials (Cl, F) will indicates a high normal level of Oxygen, when the atmosphere is actually oxygen deficient.

Extreme cold delays meter.

Must be calibrated in order to account for altitude and barometric pressure.

High CO2 concentrations can shorten life of oxygen sensor.

Does not indicate gas toxicity and gas replacing oxygen.

Operates by diffusion where air diffuses into the sensor.

Oxygen reacts with electrolytes in the cell, generating a flow in the meter.

Meter usually read percent of oxygen in sample.

Requires field calibration and minor field maintenance.

Measures concentration of carbon monoxide.

Provides immediate results.

Only measures carbon monoxide.

Meter may not indicate where are is oxygen deficient.

Does not indicate the percent of the lower explosive limit.

Warns responders of possible ongoing combustion.

Require field calibration and minor field maintenance (IAW Manufacturers specifications)

Tests for organic compounds (hydrocarbons such as butane or hexane)

Biochemical compounds such as proteins, nucleotides, and pharmaceuticals cane be studied with flame ionization.

Can only detect compounds that can be burned.

FID destroys most if not all of the sample it is detecting.

FID polarizing voltage is a high voltage and is potentially dangerous. This is the reason that FID is almost always the last detector.

FIDs are best for detecting hydrocarbons and other flammable components. They are very sensitive to other components, and response tends to be linear across a wide range of concentrations.

Field Calibration: IAW specifications

Minor Field Maintenance: IAW manufacturer specifications

Used to analyze molecular and ionic composition of chemical compounds.

Include drug detection, fir investigation, environmental analysis, explosive investigation and identification of unknown samples.

GC-MS is the “gold standard” in laboratory environment for forensic substance identification because it is used to perform a specific test.

Performs a library search for false positives.

High cost

Possibility of false positives and negatives.

Size, power requirements.

Analysis time.

Extensive training requirement required to use it.

HAPSITE GC/MS

Field Calibration: IAW specifications

Minor Field Maintenance: IAW manufacturer specifications

• It tests for:
• -Solids, liquids, pastes
• -Organic compounds
• -Petroleum products, pesticides, fertilizers, plastics
• -Plant materials
• -Many inorganic compounds
• -Water
• -Mineral acids
• -Inorganic oxides
• -Nitrates, chlorates and phosphates

Cannot definitively identify biological agents, metals and non-metals, and simple ionic salt.

Chemicals absorb infrared light.

The pattern of absorption is unique to a chemical.

Pattern is called a spectrum.

Will match the spectrum of the sample to a library.

Field Calibration: IAW devices specifications

Minor Field Maintenance: IAW manufacturer specifications

Capable of detecting and identifying very low concentrations of chemicals based upon the differential migration of gas phase ions through a homogenous electric field.

There are a number of interference’s that can have drift times similar to different chemical agents that can result in false-positives.

The IMS is a point detection system which uses either a radioactive source or corona discharge to drive the sample test process. The IMS chemical detectors are important in first response when fast and accurate information is necessary.

A common technology used in military and civilian applications.

Field Calibration: IAW devices specifications

Minor Field Maintenance: IAW manufacturer specifications

Performs qualitative and quantitative analysis of gamma radiation capable of identifying gamma-emitting isotopes.

Many include a dose rate measurement feature.

Identifies radioactive nuclides based on measured gamma ray spectra.

Susceptible to temperature variation.

Used to search for radioactive gamma sources or for areas of contamination with gamma radio nuclides.

A common technology used in medical, industrial, law enforcement, natural, and military applications.

Field Calibration: Automatic calibration for some, or IAW devices specifications

Minor Field Maintenance: IAW manufacturer specifications

Metal oxides based chemical sensors are devices that translate the changes in the concentration of gaseous chemical species into electrical signals.

Quantifying compounds in concentration below less than 1 ppm.

Field Calibration: IAW devices specifications

Minor Field Maintenance: IAW manufacturer specifications

Detects concentrations of organic and inorganic gases and vapors. Unit can be calibrated for specific chemicals if chemical is known.

Can be used to measure toxic exposure.

Used for both emergency and remedial operations as a general survey instrument.

Reading is dependent upon calibration. Most commonly calibrated on isobutylene.

Does not detect methane.

Readings may change when gases are mixed.

Radio frequencies, power lines, and transformers may affect response.

Dust and high humidity can block transmission of UV light, causing reduction in instrument reading.

Sample is exposed to ultraviolet light that ionizes the sample. Ions are collected, amplified, and produce a current which is read on a display as total organic vapors present (in ppm).

Ionization Potential (IP) of the ultraviolet lamp is critical. The 10.2 or 10.6 eV lamps are often used for emergency response purposes, because of their durability.

Field Calibration: IAW devices specifications

Minor Field Maintenance: IAW manufacturer specifications

A highly sensitive technique by which minute quatities of specific Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) or Ribonucleic acid (RNA) sequences can be enzymatically amplified to the extent that a sufficient quantity of material is available to reach a threshold “signal” for detection.

Cannot differentiate between live and dead organisms.

Cost and limited field use.

Applications for PCR include molecular cloning, DNA sequencing, archeology, forensics, amplification of unknown sequences, clinical pathology, genetic diagnosis, characterizing unknown mutations, fingerprinting / population analysis, genome analysis, and quantitative PCR of RNA or DNA.

Field Calibration: IAW devices specifications

Minor Field Maintenance: IAW manufacturer specifications

Used to monitor alpha, beta neutron particles and gamma rays.

There are a number of different probes available to differentiate between alpha, beta, and gamma.

No response does not equal clean!

Electromagnetic fields can give “false positive”

Measurements can be affected by wind, shielding, etc.

Can measure gamma rays and will detect but not measure other forms of radiation.

Passive dosimeter are product specific and other chemicals may interfere with their reading.

Reading provided in cpm, rem, and mR/hr

Typical background radiation is 0.01-0.05 mR/hr.

Many probes are available (Geiger-Mueller most common). Designed to differentiate between gamma and beta, but will not detect alpha.

Field Calibration: IAW devices specifications

Minor Field Maintenance: IAW manufacturer specifications

Rapid identification of potentially hazardous materials such as explosives, unknown chemicals, narcotics, or toxic industrial chemicals.

Commonly used in chemistry since in chemistry since information is specific for chemical bonds in molecules. (provides fingerprint the molecule can be identified by)

Do not use external laser on flammable, explosive materials or dark surfaces

Product can be analyzed in glass vials, or plastic bags; greatly reducing possibility of evidence corruption, cross contamination, or risk to response personnel.

Raman spectroscopy is extremely information rich (useful for chemical identification, characterization of molecular structures, effects of bonding, environment and stress on a sample)

Field Calibration: IAW devices specifications

Minor Field Maintenance: IAW manufacturer specifications

SAW devices are recognized for their versatility and efficiency in controlling and processing electrical signals.

Able to detect the presence of blister and nerve agents at same time.

Most units must be touched by finger, gloved hand, or soft tip stylus.

Not completely sealable, can be affected by large amounts of dirt, dust, and / or water in the environment.

Cost and temperature dependent.

Sensor applications include all areas of sensing (such as chemical, optical, thermal, pressure, acceleration, torque and biological)

Field Calibration: IAW devices specifications

Minor Field Maintenance: IAW manufacturer specifications

Chemistry is generally done in liquid phase.

It is also known as bench chemistry because many of the tests performed are done at a lab bench.

Limited field use

Requires special training (chemist)

It involves the use of laboratory glassware, such as beakers and flasks, and excludes quantitative chemical analysis using instrumentation.

Provides qualitative chemical analysis, such as changes in color (calorimetry), but often involves more quantitative chemical analysis.

Field Calibration: N/A

Minor Field Maintenance: N/A