I, too, was puzzled (and somew hat amused, since the situation was not life-threatening) at this hazmat response.

 

=B7 &nb sp;       The ability of the hazmat team to function on scene depends upon what instrume ntation they have.  They might have had a =93four gas/ PID=94 instru ment that measures O2, combustibles organics, and then two more (of CO, H2S, SO2, NO, NO2, Cl2, HCN, NH3, PH3 ) .   The device can measure concentration of a long of list of combustible organics IF you know what the compound is.  These devic es do not identify substances, but can measure concentrations of known su bstances.   Sometimes emergency responders have good informat ion about =93what is leaking=94 based on reliable local information and/or DOT placards and such.

 

Another common device would be portable IR detection units that can s amples gases, liquids, or solids.    While these d evices can identify compounds (from spectral match with libraries) I don=92 t=92 think that they can handle mixtures. 

 

(Small fire departments without a =93hazm at team=94 would not have either of the devices described above.  At best, they will have a simple four-gas meter; probably:  O2, combustible gases, CO, and H2S.)

 

Since the =93fumes=94 from chilis would be a complicat ed gas mixture neither of the devices above would be able to identify the =93gas.=94    The term =93organic=94 in this news repo rt would have been better replaced by =93mixture=94, and chemists know th at these are hardly interchangeable terms.  I do not know of any por table hazmat instruments that could handle mixtures; I assume that a port able GC-MS would be the preferred tool here and I don=92t know if that is p art of a hazmat constellation of detection devices.  < /p>

 

< p class="ecxMsoNormal" style="line-height:12.0pt">In the episode described in the new report, the experienced human nose (preferably with culinary training!) would be the preferred detection device although hazmat folks an d other emergency responders are trained NOT to use the nose for good reaso n:   the (unknown) substance might be quite toxic or dangerou s.    We are trained to =93stay upwind=94 and at a saf e distance until the situation is better understood.  Of course, s ometimes responders don=92t know what the situation is until they are on sc ene;  the information we get in advance is only as good as the inf ormation from whomever called 911 and there is no way to assess what qualit y of that information in advance.  =93There=92s a funny odor in our neighborhood!=94  So, sometimes =93the nose=94 inadvertently becom es a detection device. 

 

Dave

&nbs p;