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Thursday, March 28th, 2024

Chemical

Bill offers firefighter PFAS protection

Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI), Cory Gardner (R-CO), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) introduced Wednesday a bill to protect firefighters from per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in firefighting foams. The Protecting Firefighters from Adverse Substances (PFAS) Act of 2019 has... Read More »

Lawmakers introduce bill to combat synthetic opioids

A bipartisan group of federal legislators introduced last week a bill to fight the spread of synthetic drugs. Synthetic drugs are re-engineered to circumvent federal laws designed to outlaw them. The Stop Importation and Manufacturing of Synthetic Analogues (SIMSA) Act would allow substances... Read More »

Democrats decry reports of Trump bid at acting DHS head

The chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security opened Wednesday’s hearing on global terrorism criticizing President Donald Trump and his bid to name a new acting director of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), on the day before Kevin McAleenan was scheduled to end his five-month... Read More »

OPCW training targets ports, maritime chemical safety

Doha, Qatar, served as the site of a training initiative focusing on addressing risks arising from chemical accidents and the potential misuse of toxic chemicals in ports and maritime venues. “We aim to raise global standards and set norms for the safety, security, and efficiency of ports and... Read More »

House advances opioid trafficking act

The U.S. House of Representatives advanced last week bipartisan legislation that would create a task force within the Department of Homeland Security. The Joint Task Force to Combat Opioid Trafficking Act is aimed at preventing foreign fentanyl and other opioids from entering the country. The... Read More »

Effort enhances safety of drug evidence testing

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and state forensic lab researchers in Maryland and Vermont have developed a new technique designed to improve drug evidence testing safety. Lab researchers have demonstrated a process allowing police to test whether a baggie or other package... Read More »

CBP, DHS program bolsters opioid detection

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel have partnered with the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate as a means of bolstering illegal opioid detection methods. Synthetic Opioid Detection at Speed (SODAS) began after a report by the President’s... Read More »

Funds earmarked for substance abuse prevention

Kentucky’s Boyd County has been chosen for inclusion in the Appalachia High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said the HIDTA program provides law enforcement agencies in designated counties with coordination, equipment, technology,... Read More »

Artifical intelligence aids opioid challenges

Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) officials said the agency is using artificial intelligence (AI) to address the opioid epidemic, one of the nation’s leading health challenges. The recent DIA DoDIIS Worldwide Conference in Florida served as the backdrop for Brian Drake, the DIA’s Science and... Read More »

HHS aids burn imaging device development

The Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) has contracted with a firm to aid a burn imaging device’s development. The two-year, $27.3 million contract with SpectralMD, Inc., of Dallas, Texas, advances the... Read More »

Bill offers firefighter PFAS protection

A bill designed to protect the health and safety of firefighters and emergency responders frequently exposed to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in foams was recently introduced by Sens. Cory Gardner (R-CO), Gary Peters (D-MI), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), and Maggie Hassan (D-NH). The... Read More »

Indy 500 aided DARPA threat detection effort

Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) officials said the 2019 Indianapolis 500 aided the department’s nuclear, biological and chemical threat detection process. During the event, an advanced network of sensors kept continued vigilance, providing security real-time awareness of any... Read More »