S&T Snapshots - Chemical & Biological

Science on Wheels

(October 2007) Some threats to homeland security are difficult to spot. Deadly gases, for instance, are often impossible to see, and aerosols can be challenging to detect … without technology, that is. Thanks to research and innovation, most chemical releases can now be detected and analyzed in the field quickly and surely.

But America is a big country. Where should chemical defense programs be implemented? Only in and around the major cities? What about the suburbs or job sites in rural places? There would be no time to spare if a chemical attack were suspected. Could state and local agencies rapidly test the air, soil, and buildings for harmful or lethal substances?

And the bigger question: How can the Nation best prepare for chemical releases—from coast to coast?

Enter PHILIS: the Portable High-Throughput Integrated Laboratory Identification System. PHILIS is the bookmobile or Meals on Wheels of homeland security. Developed by the DHS Science and Technology (S&T) Directorate, the system comprises a fleet of trucks and trailers. When duty calls, the unassuming vehicles can rush into action as mobile, high-tech laboratories, each staffed by a team of 12 to 15 scientists and engineers.

Each PHILIS mobile vehicle is capable of identifying numerous chemicals, pinpointing each one’s location and concentration and mapping the extent of any contamination. This information would be critical for recovery and cleanup operations, which would follow emergency response and forensic teams to a chemical release (intentional or accidental). Six PHILIS units, built by Battelle Memorial Institute and Environmental Alternatives, Inc., are already in the hands of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)—ready to be deployed to different regions. In December, EPA will receive three more units, designed by a corporate team led by Hamilton Sundstrand. These newer versions will include upgraded equipment for chemical analysis.

“If there’s ever an incident, anywhere, EPA will be equipped to respond,” says Donald Bansleben, the S&T Directorate’s program manager for PHILIS. “Once a PHILIS unit arrives, it can be fully operational within two hours.” The newer vehicles, Bansleben says, will be able to prepare, analyze, and report on several hundreds of chemical samples every 24 hours. These can include vapors, liquids, solids, and mixed-state substances that might contain a chemical warfare agent or another toxic chemical, he says. “They can also look for the presence of these chemicals at levels lower than what is immediately dangerous,” he adds.

PHILIS is the first start-to-finish product from the Directorate, originating in the early days of DHS in 2003. It began with a proof-of-concept demonstration and grew into a single prototype after undergoing critical testing and evaluation. The fleet meets all Federal safety standards.

Are there still more PHILIS-like trucks and trailers to come? Perhaps, but if so, they will carry a different set of capabilities. Like detection and analysis technologies, chemical threats are evolving. As prepared as the Nation can be, there will always be new chemicals risks to prepare for.