Detection of Toxic Industrial Compounds: A Guide to Analytical Techniques Application

With an estimated 800,000 shipments of hazardous materials [1] transported throughout the U.S. each day, the threat of an accidental or intentional release of a toxic industrial compound is viewed as a serious one. Chemical plants, pipelines, storage facilities, railroads, and trucks are all possible sources from which toxic industrial compounds could be released. Should such an incident occur, there would be an immediate analytical need to determine the nature of the release, establish perimeters to ensure public safety, monitor decontamination efforts, and confirm effective remediation of the chemical agent. This application note describes the analytical tools required to address these chemical measurement needs.