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

• Steve.wood@Cobaltlight.com

• 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