Top Ten Most Read Identifying Threats Articles This Year

This year’s most-read identifying Threats blog articles lined up almost the same as the previous years’ most read safety and security articles. Because these articles have been around awhile, they have gathered many readers. That’s why this year we are listing the top 10 most read articles that were published this year. Here they are:

The Race to Beat ‘Crystal Meth’ Does Not Involve the Derby. The interception of Crystal Meth and other illegal drugs has become a severe policing problem worldwide. Many Kentucky law enforcement officers now use handheld narcotics analyzers to help identify suspected drugs and unknown substances. Read about their success with precursors and emerging threats such as methamphetamine, fentanyl, numerous fentanyl compounds including carfentanil, common street fentanyl analogs, pharmaceutical variants as well as the fentanyl precursors, NPP and ANPP.
How the Business of Narcotics has Changed; Smaller is Deadlier. Very tiny amounts of high-potency synthetic opioids like carfentanyl makes them easier to traffic, or as the concept is known today, micro-traffic, across a distribution network. The trend today is law enforcement is not seeing raw material, e.g., big bricks of fentanyl and cocaine and heroin coming over to be cut up by distributors in the United States, but rather, finished products in micro traffic quantities and distribution. Read how FTIR and Raman spectroscopies are helping to fight the problem.
Is Clothing with Infused Illegal Drugs the Latest Summer Fashion? This year Chilean Customs officers discovered 29 clothing items impregnated with MDMA coming from Spain at the Santiago Airport. MDMA, sometimes referred to as Molly or Ecstasy, is a synthetic drug that acts as a stimulant and hallucinogen. This, liquid cocaine, and other illicit drugs are being found within the fibers of material. Read how law enforcement officials are lifting the veil of smugglers.
The Danger in Coal Dust. There could be a danger in coal dust — one that could compromise the health and safety of miners. Discover how a real-time dust monitor is the first line of defense in preventing long-term health effects including black lung, silicosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), bronchitis, and emphysema.
Hundreds Were Accidentally Poisoned 35 Years Ago by Rogue Radiation Source. During demolition and deconstruction, many potentially radioactive items could be tossed in the trash and taken to a landfill, or sent to scrapyards. It takes just one orphan source to become a threat to the public’s health. Discover the radiation detection and measurement devices that can help search for materials, monitor a suspected area, identify surface contamination, and ascertain the exact isotope of the radioactive material in order for authorities to assess the potential threat and quickly initiate a plan of action.
Blue Barrels of Acetone Leads to Drug Arrest in The Netherlands. Possession of the solvent acetone is not illegal in itself but finding a truckful of blue barrels and jerry cans was a tip-off to the police that it was probably intended for the manufacture of Ecstasy pills. After the investigation by the police, and later upon verification with a Chemical Identification Analyzer, it was confirmed that a total of 400 Liters of Formamide, also known as methanamide, and 1545 liters of Acetone were discovered. These are all substances used to manufacture synthetic drugs.
Video Shows What a CBRNE Scientist Does to Keep Singapore Borders Safe. A CBRNE scientist from Singapore discusses how she and others work around the clock to detect radiological threats — including dirty bombs, IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices), and material that could be used to build these weapons — before they cross their borders and cause mass destruction.
12 Police Departments Talk About Fight Against Illegal Drugs Using Portable Narcotics Analyzers. Here is a sampling of news reports about the various police departments across the United States (and beyond) who are using handheld narcotics analyzers to help combat the opioid epidemic by safely identifying unknown substances in the field.
Historic Nuclear-Powered Merchant Ship to be Decommissioned. The permanent closure of a nuclear power plant – whether on land or sea — involves its safe removal from service and dismantling the facility to residual radioactivity level. Decommissioning can be a labor intensive and dirty job, as well as a dangerous one. Read about the technologies used for monitoring exposure.
Why Indoor Spaces Pose a Threat to the Public Health. How can hospitals, nursing homes, and other facility managers be confident in their indoor air quality? How can they confirm if their safety protocols are working or if they need to be adjusted in order to keep people and colleagues safe? Read about the latest in-air pathogen surveillance solutions that can deliver better data about the presence (or absence) of pathogens in indoor air—so one can identify risks and make faster, more reliable, and more confident decisions about the ability to safely re-open a facility and stay open.

Whether you are interested in air quality, ridding the world of narcotics and illicit drugs, protecting oneself against radiation, or many other topics related to safety and security, when it comes to identifying threats, you’ll find something valuable to learn on our blog. Read the above top ten and subscribe so you won’t miss any in the new year.