Ensuring a Rapid Response to Chemical Emergencies

An accidental release of toxic chemicals can have tragic consequences, as it did in Bhopal, India, two decades ago. In today's highly charged political atmosphere, it's easy to imagine intentional releases of chemical warfare agents or toxic industrial compounds (TICs).

Whether accidental or intentional, the threat of a chemical release is serious and universal. Globally, manufacturers produce more than 400 million tons of toxic chemicals every year. In the United States, manufacturers transport more than 800,000 shipments of hazardous compounds daily over the nation's highways and railways. With this much potentially toxic traffic, the threat of an accident or intentional diversion is all too real.

Developing new monitoring solutions

Because chemical agents can quickly incapacitate intended targets, preparedness and the ability to respond quickly are critical. Fortunately, Agilent offers a full range of fast, flexible and highly accurate response solutions. And now Agilent is putting its expertise to use in developing the next generation of chemical detection and monitoring systems.

To better protect workers and citizens in government buildings and transportation facilities, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security wants to be able to continuously monitor for the presence of TICs and chemical warfare agents. The department wants an automated monitoring system that is fast enough to allow it to protect citizens and that has three key attributes:

• The ability to detect a wide range of toxic chemicals including blood, nerve, choking and blister agents, as well as TICs
• High sensitivity to detect and identify agents with minimal false positive or false negative results
• Very low cost of ownership

In January, 2005 the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Advanced Research Projects Agency (HSARPA) awarded Agilent a $930,000 Phase I research grant to develop such a monitoring system. Agilent was one of 40 organizations selected for this award from among more than 125 proposals submitted to HSARPA. As a recipient, Agilent will contribute to the first phase of projects related to the development of an Autonomous Rapid Facility Chemical Agent Monitor (ARFCAM). The goal of this program is to develop, test and commercialize next-generation detectors that can effectively counter potential biological and chemical attacks.

Leveraging proven capabilities

Bringing new chemical sensors and systems to reality requires innovative thinking from experts in the field. Agilent's capabilities in homeland security, chemical warfare agents and TICs have proven effective and reliable in analyzing air, liquid, solid, and soil chemical warfare agents. Agilent develops innovative tools to meet the demanding requirements for responding quickly and accurately to suspected chemical warfare agents to make every homeland a safer place.

For more information

To learn more about Agilent's capabilities in homeland security, please request a copy of our Homeland Security Solutions CD-ROM. For information about other Agilent chemical analysis products and resources, please visit the Life Sciences/Chemical Analysis main page.