A specialized chemical detection laboratory operated on a plane by EPA is receiving new sensors as an agency inspector general report Thursday found its aging equipment delayed monitoring results dramatically.
The plane — the Airborne Spectral Photometric Environmental Collection Technology, or ASPECT — is supposed to provide results in five minutes, but the inspector general reported it took a week for manual analysis of the results.
“This delay could reduce the benefit of having the data during an emergency response, as results indicating which chemicals should be monitored at the ground level may not be available in a timely manner,” EPA’s Office of Inspector General said in a management alert.
The plane, a Cessna based out of Texas that is intended to take off within one hour of an incident, is designed to use remote sensing to detect dozens of chemical compounds and warfare agents, as well as radiological dangers. It is deployed after accidents such as the 2023 East Palestine train derailment in Ohio and natural disasters such as hurricanes and wildfires. It also is sometimes used preventively at major public events such as the Rose Bowl and Boy Scout Jamboree.
