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"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."
I guess that's one way to take care of the Federal Deficit.
An internal system operation returned the error "The operation completed successfully.".
Seriously? After reports of government lawyers watching porn on their office computers, nothing really surprises me about Federal government. Especially given the nincompoop we've twice elected to run it.
Because even among the above mentioned work-place masturbators none got fired.
In Soviet Washington the swamp drains you.
I'm torn between wishing it was my (former) group and wishing it wasn't. I think the stories will be much better if robots were involved. In any case, I advise BLAMING THE DEER. Always blame the deer. Or the geese.
Are there any scientists that have stage 4 pancreatic cancer working at the federal lab? If there are, the feds might want to check them out.
The Spokesman for NIST, when announcing it right after coming from a dentist appointment, and his mouth was numb, said "The asplosion made a real meth of the place"
The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
a contractor in need of paying off a big doctor bill did it. Better then asking for money from the mob with a Plus of being able to get the FED lockup plan that is better then most state lockup plans.
Walter White would *never* blow up a building. Well, I mean, he blew up plenty of buildings, but not accidentally, and not the ones he was making meth in. If you suggest the building blew up due to the behavior of someone acting like he was in Breaking Bad, I would assume the building was being used as the headquarters of some nasty Mexican drug lord, and the dude had to teach the guy a lesson in badassitude. (Sorry, spoilers.)
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.
it was probably during the development of a standard "meth" sample both a documented process and sample for use in testing and calibrating those curb side drug test kits.
sure you could get it from your local dealer... but then you have legal and purity issues to deal with. better off making it your self in control conditions in cases like this. you have fewer problems that way.
though accidental explosions are not one of the ones that are eliminated with this approach.
They were probably just making a reference sample.
Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
It is essential that we determine exactly where the breakdown in protocol occurred and whether similar activities could be ongoing at other federal facilities.
Sounds like the "protocol" might be changed from "treat everyone as suspicious" to "treat everyone as guilty".
Josh Ernest just cleared it up. It is George W. Bush's fault and global warming contributed to the explosion.
Nothing to see here, move along...
So a lab had some common chemicals, and someone had cold medicine. According to what I learned in D.A.R.E. I could probably make cocaine, meth, and heroin with what I found in the janitor's closet.
Meth. Not even BOOOOM!!!!!
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Dude. Just take a stapler and some pens or something. Everything has limits.
For all intensive purposes, "whom" is no longer a word. That begs the question, "who cares"?
Here we go... A relatively routine law enforcement matter is going to become a political pseudo-scandal. Scientists are evil and corrupt, so how can we trust them about climate change or evolution? Perhaps the drugs were being made at Obama's personal request. Why else would Lamar Smith be taking and interest?
Watching porn is not dangerous
You, sir, are not watching the right kind of porn.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
This story dropped out of the blue with no development in regards to the explanation.
What really happened?
This is shameful !
Administration Official: China did it.
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.
What does he mean gone undetected? The big explosion kinda made people detect it, no?
Maybe ask them about 9/11 while you're there.
nt
Meaning: 'I want all this privatized and sold to my asshole buddies for pennies on the dollar.'
If you want to know more about the risks involved in the production of illegal drugs, how to detect said production, and clean up the mess it makes, you have to make some yourself.