Reference Methods and Standards for Homeland Security

This project encompasses NIST's chemical analysis roles in chemical weapons treaty verification activities and other national security applications including measurement service needs of various homeland security activities. Today, most of these analysis techniques are qualitative and are used to identify or confirm the presence or absence of certain materials. However, in many cases applying quantitative analytical techniques can provide important additional information about material sources or the significance of material identifications. Project activities address measurement method and standards issues chemical and biological weapons detection, and development of microanalytical devices enabling faster human identity testing.

Chemical Weapon / Hazardous Material Identification and Monitoring

• Staff from several NIST divisions provide technical leadership and expertise in support of Chemical Weapons Treaty verification activities for the US Defense Threat Reduction Agency
• NIST is establishing a facility for the rapid detection and quantitation of very small (picograms) amounts of fissionable materials (such as uranium or plutonium) on swipes or other samples of interest. Tiny traces of fissionable uranium or plutonium can be left behind whenever these materials are handled or transported. The facility will employ a recently developed collection system and delayed-neutron activation analysis (DNAA) to provide excellent speed, sensitivity, and specificity for the determination of these materials.
• NIST is developing instrument independent Raman spectral libraries and the calibration protocols to enable their use with field portable instrumentation for use by first responders – hazardous materials (hazmat) specialists, law enforcement officers, safety and security personnel—to identify unknown substances in real-time with minimal handling. Such materials include explosives, drugs of abuse, and bio/chemical agents. The goal is to provide both the physical standards and the validated Raman spectral libraries necessary to impart confidence in Raman measurements, to provide measurement traceability to national standards, to improve the Raman determination efficacy, and to enhance evidentiary acceptance of Raman measurements

Chemical Measurement Services

• NIST is collaborating with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to provide standards and method validation needed to implement a Quality Assurance Program for the Laboratory Response Network (LRN) http://www.bt.cdc.gov/lrn/ , established to respond to a chemical terrorism event. The LRN is a network of national laboratories that are equipped to rapidly test for human exposure to chemical and biological weapons.
• In the initial activities for this, NIST developed and validated an improved method for the measurement of cyanide (CN) in human whole blood based on headspace gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) using a labeled cyanide internal standard. The method has been adapted by CDC for use by laboratories in the LRN.
• NIST then used this method to value assign and assess stability of CDC proficiency test samples for use in CDC's assessment of the measurement capabilities of members of the LRN.

Human Identity Testing

• A new microfluidic DNA electrophoresis device with auxiliary optics, pneumatics, and software to enable rapid analysis of DNA “fingerprints” for forensic analysis and human identification was developed at NIST. The time required for analysis is reduced by nearly 90% when this device rather than the current method-of-choice for separations of this type – capillary electrophoresis – is used. The increased speed of analysis achieved when this microfluidic device is used as well as decreased cost will allow forensic case workers to address more rapidly the US backlog of more than 0.5 million case samples.

• Continuing interact with forensic and homeland security stakeholders to identify and prioritize measurement service needs
• Continuing to monitor and respond to future measurement and standards needs of the CDC Laboratory Response Network