Unit 5.7 Illicit Laboratories

1. Unit 5.7 Illicit Laboratories

2. Terminal Objective • Upon completion of this unit the participants will be able to analyze the hazards and risks of illicit laboratories and identify the incident objectives for safely managing the labs at the operations level of response.

3. Enabling Objectives • Identify clues to the recognition of illicit laboratory operations • Identify the types of illicit laboratories • Identify the key processes that should be identified at illicit labs • Describe the incident objectives for operations at illicit labs

4. Introduction

5. Reasons for Illicit Laboratories • Laboratories may be developed and operated for many reasons: • Domestic or International terrorist groups • Antigovernment groups • Abortion related • Ecoterrorism • Animal rights groups • Illicit drug manufacturers

6. Challenges • May be difficult to find – hidden from view • May be difficult to determine what final product was intended to be during production process • Potential for multiple products being made at same location

7. Overt Discovery • EMS call for sick person or difficulty breathing • Labs will be tightly sealed to keep odors from escaping and being discovered • Odor complaint • Fire or explosion call • Assistance to agencies who have information regarding what is going on

8. Covert Discovery • Subjects are not aware of the discovery of the laboratory • May be recognized during the response to another related or un-related incident • May be identified during an undercover law enforcement investigation • Require close coordination to maintain security of information

9. Potential or Actual Labs • Not all labs are illegal • Labs not involved in illegal activity, may generate harmful environmental waste • Response may include multiple agencies • Fire and hazardous materials • EMS • Law enforcement • Health department • Federal agencies

10. Types of Illicit Laboratories • Explosives • Biological agents • Chemical and CWA • Drugs • Radiological

11. Key Processes Used • Synthesis makes a chemical from another substance • Extraction uses raw materials to produce finished product • Conversion refines raw product with chemicals • Fermentation is used to produce and refine a product

12. Hazards of Illicit Laboratories • Booby traps • Trip wires around site tied to explosive device, gun, or device to ward occupants • Boards with nails protruding in path of travel covered with leaves or foliage • Trigger devices attached to windows or doors that need to be opened in a special sequence

13. Hazards of Illicit Laboratories • Explosive ordinance • Suspicious packages or devices • EOD bomb disposal personnel needed to evaluate packages • X-ray equipment • Containment devices • PPE for blast protection • Packages and devices may be destroyed

14. Hazards of Illicit Laboratories • Fires may occur during the cooking and manufacturing process with multiple hazards present • Volatile liquids • Anhydrous ammonia • Match heads • Sodium, lithium metal • Aerosol cans of starting fluid

15. Hazards of Illicit Laboratories • Oxidizers may be present • Corrosives may be present • Flammable gases may be present • Poison gases may be present • Liquids may be unidentified • Run away reactions

16. Explosive Lab Recognition • Selected types • Ammonium nitrate mixtures • Black powder • Chlorates and perchlorate mixtures • Glycerin and glycol mixtures • Peroxide mixtures • Acetone peroxide • Urea mixtures • Look for • Fuels • Oxidizers and oxidizing acids • Grinding and mixing • Ice baths • Use of powdered metals (Al, Mg)

17. Biological Lab Recognition • Selected types • Bacteria (growing) • Toxins (growing or extracting) • Viruses • Look for • Intentional warm, moist, nutrient rich culturing • Lab apparatus suggesting working with microscopic organisms, living tissue, plants or animals

18. Biological Lab Hazards • Highly toxic end products • Precursor or reagent materials present • Incubators, fermentators, petri dishes, and cultures being grown • Bacteria • Viruses • Toxins

19. Inoculation Grow out initial materials Scale Up / Fermentation Produce larger quantities Harvest Remove bacteria from media and dry Finish and Store Powder or freeze dry Common Steps to a Bio Lab Acquire Seed Stock Purchase or isolate

20. Toxin Production • Extraction processes • May use columns • Solvents • centrifugation • Filtration • Drying • Example: Ricin • Sufficient toxin in 5 seeds for 2 lethal doses • Grind, remove oil, extract ricin, concentrate, dry and mill to size • Fermentation Process • Using fermentation obtain toxins from bacteria

21. Production of Virus • Viruses are cellular parasites • Three common ways of cultivating viruses • Grow in embryonated eggs • Grow in tissue cultures • Grow in living animals

22. Chemical Weapon Labs • Many times requires highly protective operations • Look for – • Deliberate generation and collection of gases • Highly protective apparatus (gloves boxes and nitrogen inerting systems) • Other situational intelligence

23. Drug Lab Recognition • People and activities • Numerous types of labs (Meth, GHB, LSD…) • Precursor materials & essential chemicals • Cold medicines • Paint thinners, solvents • Plants • Acids and alkalis • Apparatus and processes • Intelligence

24. Drug Lab Recognition

25. Laboratory Apparatus

26. Types of Condensers

28. Distillation Process • Separates liquid mixtures based upon differences in volatility and boiling point • A physical separation not a chemical process • Some types • Simple distillation • Fractional distillation • Vacuum distillation

29. Distillation Process

30. Reflux Process • Condensation of vapors and return to the liquid from which it was generated • Enables a liquid to be “cooked” without losing it to vapors • Can also be used to obtain greater purity in the distillation process

31. REFLUX CONDENSER CONFIGURATION

32. FUNNELS

33. ADDITIONAL FUNNELS

35. STIRRER/HOT PLATE

36. Monitoring For Hazards

37. Ionizing Radiation • Gamma is the primary concern • Easily detectable and travels equally in alll directions • Penetrating life safety risk to personnel even if wearing PPE and SCBA • Alpha and beta sources present minimal risk to personnel in PPE • Use scintillation detector or gamma spectrometer

38. pH Determination • Moistened pH paper in air • Red change to vapors indicates and binary or fuming acid • Hydrochloric, hydrofluoric, hydroiodic • Sulfuric, nitric, phosphoric • Other acids that have been volatilized • PH paper direct contact to liquids or solids

39. Chemical Warfare Agents • May be indicated for chemical labs of unknown purpose • Screening for nerve agents, blistered agents and cyanide compounds • Use multiple technologies due to potential false positives • APD 2000, HazMat CAD, M256A1 and others

40. Combustible Vapors & Oxygen • Combustible vapors • Most commonly encountered hazard • Highly volatile solvents may be used • Oxygen concentration • Reduction in concentration may indicate high concentrations of contaminates • Increase concentration results in significant fire hazard

41. Photo and Flame Ionization • Photo-ionization detectors • Range 0 – 2000 units (ppm) • Detects many large organic molecules and some inorganics • May be blind to smaller or diatomic molecules • Flame ionization detector • Range 1 – 10,000 units (ppm) • Will detect any organic compound • Will detect trace amount of any flammable vapors long before CGIs

42. Lab Management Considerations

44. Considerations • Joint response • Unified command – law enforcement lead agency • Fire department/hazardous materials • Site characterization • Container identification • Product information • Identify storage of seized materials after samples are taken for evidence

45. Considerations • Drug enforcement agency (DEA) will typically be a lead law enforcement agency and take responsibility for disposal of materials seized. • FBI may be involved • Environmental agency may have a role in environmental crimes and site remediation

46. Law Enforcement Agencies • Take responsibility to secure scene – no booby traps for responders • Windows of building normally covered to hide laboratory initiatives – may be opened from exterior • Entrances must be checked for booby traps • Radio frequency may trigger devices • Instruments, like flashlights, intrinsically safe • After scene is secured – all clear should be called

47. Scene Command Structure • A single or unified command structure can be utilized – depending on scope of incident and agencies involved • An incident action plan should be developed unless entry must be immediately made • A site safety plan should be developed and made available to all agencies

48. Components of an IAP • Incident Action Plan forms: • ICS 201 Incident briefing form • ICS 202 Incident objectives form • ICS 203 Organizational assignment list • ICS 204 Assignment list • ICS 205 Communications plan • ICS 206 Medical plan • ICS 208HM Site safety plan

49. Regulatory Considerations • OSHA 1910.120(q)(3)(i) and EPA 311 requires an incident commander to be in charge of an incident involving a hazardous material. • OSHA 1910.120(q)(3)(vii) requires a safety official to be designated who is knowledgeable in the operations being implemented

50. Unified Command • Unified command should be staffed with lead agency personnel that will have a major role in the stabilization of the incident. • Law enforcement may be lead agency in unified command structure. • Fire, HazMat, EMS, environmental may be in a support role