Deliberately, accidentally, or consequentially, first responders and waste site workers handle unknown substances of varying degrees of danger every day. Unidentified chemicals involved with clandestine production of WMD agents or drugs, explosive materials, unlabeled waste, and forensic samples all pose a threat to the worker and those they protect. A straightforward, concise handbook of practical strategies is needed to perform effective risk assessment and management in the face of uncertainty. Written for emergency workers responsible for the safe response to and management of unknown hazardous materials, Emergency Characterization of Unknown Materials providesreadily applicable strategies for developing and implementing a fluid concept of risk analysis based on hazard characterization in emergency situations where definitive identification of the material may be impractical or even impossible. Using a hands-on approach involving the manipulation of small amounts of material, the author discusses strategies to identify threats and vulnerabilities, ascertain exposure, and reduce or eliminate impact. The book begins with an overview of chemical and physical terms and definitions. It continues with a look at types of hazards presented by chemical compounds and mixtures, organisms, and radiation sources. It covers approximately 63 portable technologies for field identification or characterization and examines general technological advantages and disadvantages relative to hazard identification. The final chapter presents strategies for use in identifying or characterizing suspected weapons of mass destruction, illegal drugs, explosive substances, biological hazards, and other hazardous materials. Each chapter includes extensive references and a comprehensive index. Providing a sweeping overview of hazards and emphasizing risk analysis and public safety, Emergency Characterization of Unknown Materials gives first responders an advantage they deserve.

Emergency Characterization of Unknown Materials, Second Edition is fully updated to serve as a portable reference that can be used in the field and laboratory by workers who are responsible for a safe response to and management of unknown hazardous materials. As with the first edition, the book emphasizes public safety and the management of life safety hazards, including strategies and emerging technologies to identify the hazards presented by an unknown material. When responding to a hazardous material emergency involving an unknown substance, firefighters and HAZMAT teams are primarily interested in protecting public safety. The book details risk analysis procedures to identify threats and vulnerabilities, analyzing them to determine how such risks can be eliminated or reduced. If an unknown material can be identified with a high degree of confidence, that can considerably change the response, and measures to be taken. In addition, the book covers practical field applications with updated and additional examples of field instruments. The hazard identification methods presented are intended for use by frontline workers. The test methods presented involve manipulation of small sample amounts - using, literally, a hands-on approach. The three technologies used by first responders and military personnel to identify unknown chemicals, Raman spectroscopy, FTIR spectroscopy and high-pressure mass spectroscopy, are covered in depth. Features Presents how to identify unknown materials and, if identification is not possible, to characterize the hazards of the material Offers practical examples to introduce new first responders to hazardous materials response Provides up-to-date field applications of the latest developments in commercially available instrumentation Details practical sample manipulations to help the reader successfully identify materials with popular high-end instrumentation Includes several examples of spectra and describes ways in which the reader can utilize data to inform decision making New coverage to this edition includes a chapter and content that focuses on sample manipulation and separations using instruments developed and revised since the first edition was published. These sample manipulations may be performed in the field with a very simple toolkit, which is fully outlined and explained in detail. Identifying the hazards of the unknown substance is essential to plan for response, contingencies and sustained actions. As such, Emergency Characterization of Unknown Materials, Second Edition will be a welcome and essential resource to all response and safety professionals concerned with hazardous materials.

Frequently a substance found at a port of entry, waste site, laboratory triage facility, or even in a hazardous materials emergency will be labeled and purportedly identified. But law enforcement and other first responders cannot take this claim at face value, as the accuracy is not confirmed and must be verified. A comprehensive handbook for on-the-spot investigations, Field Confirmation Testing for Suspicious Substances provides those who confront suspicious substances with the tools to confirm or deny a labeled identity. A Complete Range of Testing Protocols Divided into three sections, the book begins by exploring physical confirmation tests which use methods that involve measurement of temperature, vapor density, radioactivity, and other factors. The author then examines chemical confirmation tests suitable for field use, providing over 400 different analyses, most of which provide a colorimetric result. The book also includes a section on instrumentation. It offers an overview of the technologies used to analyze materials and presents the strengths and weaknesses of the technology so that the corresponding weak or strong result can be used in the overall analysis. The appendix provides two detailed sections on drug and explosives tests. The tests in this book can immediately generate valuable information in the field which can be used to save lives, conserve property, provide environmental protection, and assist law enforcement in apprehending those responsible for disseminating hazardous substances.