Remote Detection of Hazardous Chemicals

Clandestine laboratories produce illegal drugs through the chemical synthesis of precursors, reagents and solvents. These laboratories are not only illegal in theiroperations, but these processes are extremely dangerous because of the hazardous chemicalsused for the extraction of the product, as well as the by-products and residues produced. This produces a hazard in operations due to the explosive and safety nature ofthese materials, and these facilities pose a safety hazard for the governmentinvestigativeagencies, particularly policing agencies that must enter these facilities. Pacific Advanced Technology (PAT) has developed a field portable infrared imagingspectrometer technology (Image Multi-spectral Sensing or IMSS) for defenserelatedapplications such as the detection, analysis and warning of numerous targets from missile plumes to chemical warfare agents. PAT proposes to utilize this new IMSS technology and apply it to hazardous chemical vapor detection and analysis. Thistechnology can provide a small, hand held camera that can detect and analyze gasesand determine their chemical species. PAT proposes to analyze and test the IMSStechnology during the Phase I effort and fabricate a chemical detection camera duringthe PhaseII program.An inexpensive, small, lightweight, portable, hand held