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Forensics

ECBC's forensic capabilities were originally developed to support U.S. obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention treaty whereby the United States was required to procure sampling and analysis expertise to verify treaty compliance. Today, the Center performs highly sophisticated chemical analysis on a broad spectrum of samples that contain unusual elements or trace materials of chemical and biological agents for both military and civilian clients.

With advanced facilities and equipment at their disposal, staff is able to generate complex laboratory results within days or even hours. One such facility where this is accomplished is the Forensic Analytical Center. Known as the FAC, this facility is independently registered by international organizations in ISO 9001 and is accredited to the ISO/IEC 17025 standard that refers to laboratory operations and quality control.

In addition to maintaining state-of-the-art on-site analytical expertise, ECBC has designed and fielded mobile laboratory systems supporting on-going client operations for over a decade. ECBC works closely with customers to determine needs, recommend specific equipment and integrate and fabricate unique configurations using industry standards and equipment.

Forensics Highlights

ECBC has supported a variety of federal agencies through its mobile labs. Two mobile laboratory systems were designed, staffed and deployed by ECBC to provide support at the 2001 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Utah. In a separate project, ECBC personnel delivered a self-supporting, trailer-mounted vehicle including a suite of new analytical systems to the FBI Explosives Unit.

Demonstrating ECBC's high standards in chemical/biological agent detection and analysis, the Center has received four consecutive perfect scores in international proficiency tests sponsored by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.