Illicit Drugs Analysis

The production of illicit drugs and their use are growing problems in our society. In particular, many drug used can lead to symptoms such as withdrawal, addiction as well as dangerous health problems, some of which are fatal. The clandestine drug laboratories can exist in many multi‐unit residential buildings in large metropolitan cities. Not only is the active usage of these illicit drugs deleterious to the users, families and society, their operations can generate significant environmental hazards and have serious impacts on the health and safety of surrounding residences. In general, a number of illicit drugs are synthesised in these labs such as methamphetamine (Meth), Ecstasy (MDMA), amphetamine. Many chemicals are used in such operations such as the specific chemical hazards can vary from site to site, depending on the drugs being synthesized and their mechanism. Often, these clandestine labs are discovered after a fire, explosion, or leaking of chemicals used into neighboring properties. Cleanup and remediation of former clandestine labs are usually extensive, involving removal of gross contaminants, checking for the presence of health hazards, restoration of the property for future inhabitation, and final testing to ensure no hazards exist after such remediation.

Various methods are used for the analysis, mostly using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry to achieve low detection as well as confirmation for ligation purpose. Vigorous QA/QC protocol is applied to the analysis ensuring accurate and undisputable Data.