Chemical Threats

Laboratory Response Network for Chemical Threats

The State Hygienic Laboratory is supported by a grant provided to the State of Iowa Department of Public Health to test for exposure to chemical threat agents. This includes both clinical and environmental samples. For clinical samples, staff work directly with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Laboratory Response Network for Chemical Threats (LRN-C) to support poisoning/intoxication events.

What patient exposures would the State Hygienic Laboratory want to be contacted for?

Exposure to ricin, the protein found in castor beans
Exposure to abrin, the protein found in jequirity beans (or rosary pea)
Exposure to cyanide
Exposure to high concentrations of volatile organic solvent vapors (examples: 1,2-dichloroethane, benzene, carbon tetrachloride, chloroform, ethylbenzene, m- & p-xylene, o-xylene, styrene, tetrachloroethylene, toluene)
Exposure to organophosphorus nerve agents (sarin [GB], VX, Russian VX, Soman [GD], and Tabun [GA], cyclosarin [GF])
Exposure to the rodenticide, tetramethylenedisulfotetramine (TETS)
Exposure to the oxidizer, tetranitromethane

Typically, a credible threat environmental unknown sample must first be cleared by SHL’s Biological Threat section. Once cleared as safe to be handled by the chemistry staff, an all-hazards approach is employed to identify the chemical composition of the unknown in a timely fashion. Testing to identify the unknown may include any of the following:

radioactivity
reactivity to explosive testing kit (e.g. ExPen)
solubility in a variety of solvents
oxidizer test
classical qualitative chemistry tests
microscopy
analysis by FTIR (ID of covalent bond containing [organic] molecules)
analysis by FT-Raman (complementary ID of organics and some inorganics)
analysis by GC-MS (fingerprint library search ID of organic molecules)
analysis by LC-MS (complementary molecular weight information)
analysis by ion chromatography (anions)
analysis by ICP-MS (cations/metal ions)

What is the LRN-C?

In 1995, a subway filled with rush-hour passengers was exposed to a crude and impure chemical threat agent. Members of a cult used two precursors in plastic bags in an attempt to create sarin gas, which in its pure form, is a highly deadly paralytic nerve agent. The US sent a team to Tokyo, to assist in logistics for the analysis of the many clinical samples from those both exposed to the crude sarin gas and those who were fearful that they had been exposed. That team concluded that if such an attack were to occur in America, CDC’s laboratory would be quickly overwhelmed. Thus began a network of states (LRN-C) to act as surge capacity to the CDC. For more information, visit Laboratory Response Network.

Food Emergency Response Network

The State Hygienic Laboratory also has a partnership with the Food & Drug Association for counterterrorism to our food supply. This network of laboratories, referred to as FERN – Food Emergency Response Network works in close association with the LRN. Common residues found in produce, for instance, are pesticides – herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides.

FERN Focus:

Prevention: FERN provides for an early means of detecting threat agents in the American food supply
Preparedness: FERN prepares the nation's laboratories to be able to respond to food-related emergencies
Response: FERN offers significant surge capacity that will strengthen the nation's response towards widespread complex emergencies, intentional or inadvertent related to agents in food
Recovery: The FERN network of laboratories enhances the ability of the country to restore confidence in the food supply following a threat or an actual emergency targeting the nation's food supply

SHL Credible Threat Sample Submission Form

POINT TO I WANT TO ORDER A TEST

HazMat Task Force

The State Hygienic Laboratory is a member of the 22-team consortium of Hazardous Materials response teams. The laboratory partners with the Iowa National Guard, 71st Civil Support Team, to support these teams with analysis of credible threat unknowns and training on the collection of samples and use/interpretation of field instrumentation.