"Breaking Bad" At the National Institute of Standards and Technology

sciencehabit writes: Police are investigating whether an explosion inside a Maryland federal laboratory was the result of an effort to make drugs. Authorities who responded to the explosion at the National Institute of Standards and Technology found pseudoephedrine, Epsom salt and other materials associated with the manufacture of meth. Federal and local law enforcement agencies are investigating the cause of the explosion and if a security guard injured in the blast might have been involved. Sciencemag reports: "Representative Lamar Smith (R–TX), chairman at the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, got involved today, expressing grave concern over the incident in a letter to Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker. NIST is part of the Commerce Department. 'I am troubled by the allegations that such dangerous and illicit activity went undetected at a federal research facility. It is essential that we determine exactly where the breakdown in protocol occurred and whether similar activities could be ongoing at other federal facilities,' wrote Smith in an accompanying press release. He has requested a briefing with NIST no later than 29 July."

Comments

Meth Hype is Common:

[Hartree]

Take things with a grain of salt. Many of these "high tech meth lab" cases are someone using a couple of soda bottles and plastic straws to make meth with ingredients they bought at Walmart.

It may have been a random building worker doing this. If it were one of the scientists, I'd be surprised they'd be using drain cleaner as the sodium hydroxide rather than just getting some out of the lab. It's one of the most common lab chemicals.

Re:Meth Hype is Common:

[Anonymous Coward]

They suspect that a guard (injured in the explosion) was cooking it. The attempt in the title to link scientist working at NIST to the meth production is misleading. First thing I thought when reading it was "This meth must have been hitting and exceeding the specs". Then i start reading about pseudoephedrine, drain cleaner and Epsom salt... Well this is not how Walter White would have done it, is it?

Re:Heisenberg

[plopez]

Or anyone with huge medical bills.

Old joke: Q: have you heard of the British version of Breaking Bad? A man finds out he has cancer and gets 5 years of free excellent health care.

Hardly surprising

[Demonoid-Penguin]

Not all "cooks" work out of caravans (what they call trailers in the USA). Chemistry labs in universities are frequently used by students, and occasionally staff, to produce illegal drugs. Even Lidcombe Analytical Labs where seized drugs are tested for court has had similar incidents.

The (Oz) Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry used to occupy a building in Barton, Canberra. In the warren of large storage rooms in the lower basement filled with old furniture and equipment a cannabis grow room was once discovered. And two separate areas where people were living. No one was charged with the grow op, and it was quietly cleaned out. Two rooms along, sharing the same ventilation system was where the Quarantine Inspection Service dog handlers worked - and they would frequently do some of the "find the sock with the pot" training in the shared basement loading bays. Must of confused the hell out of the dogs (or maybe just the trainers). Especially given the number of IT staff who worked out of rooms in the same corridors and were known for using the same carpark for sharing a quick joint at lunchtime when it was raining outside.

Several times I'd gotten out of a lift down to the basement with people that reeked of reefer and we've all had to walk past drug sniffing dogs being walked the other way along the corridors. I often wondered if AQIS detection rates at the airport could have been a little higher.

That same building is now home to the Australian Federal Police - whenever I've visited the lower basement level I've wondered whether the tradition continues.