Analysis of Chemical Warfare Agents by GC-MS: Second Chemical Cluster CRTI Training Exercise

Abstract : The Chemical Cluster, one of three clusters created by the Chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear Research and Technology Initiative (CRTI), was established to help Canada prepare for possible terrorist events. This working group, made up of representatives from Canadian government departments, has identified a number of chemicals of concern and assigned laboratories with appropriate expertise to provide the analytical support necessary to confirm these compounds in suspect samples. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), in its lead forensics role, will attempt to tentatively identify the chemical(s) of concern and pass on the samples to the responsible laboratory within the Chemical Cluster. Samples containing large amounts of relatively pure chemical warfare agents should trigger a response with one the chemical monitoring devices (e.g., Chemical Agent Monitor) used by the RCMP to triage samples. Defence R&D Canada - Suffield (DRDC Suffield) has been tasked to analyse samples suspected to contain chemical warfare agents for the Chemical Cluster and would receive this type of suspect sample. There remains a possibility that samples with a lower level of chemical warfare agent contamination might inadvertently find their way into a laboratory tasked with another type of analysis. To manage this possibility, the laboratories receiving these types of samples should have an analytical screening capability to allow for the tentative identification of chemical warfare agents in samples and sample extracts. This report summarizes the second chemical warfare agent training exercise in sample preparation and analysis by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) given by DRDC Suffield to other Chemical Cluster laboratories.