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The Chemical Response Laboratory (CRL) was established in 2004 to provide laboratory
support to the State in the event of a chemical mass casualty incident such as a chemical
terrorist attack or large-scale chemical release. The CRL is funded by the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and organized as part of the State Laboratory
Division Laboratory Emergency Response Program (See Administration/Organization Chart).
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The CRL is responsible for
- partnering with key emergency response stakeholders to prepare for, respond to and recover
from chemical exposure incidents,
- providing guidance and training to hospitals and clinical laboratories for clinical specimen
collection from potentially exposed victims as well as specimen packaging and shipping.
- testing for chemical warfare agents and toxic industrial chemicals or their metabolites in
blood and urine specimens,
- coordinating specimen transport to CDC and other Chemical-LRN (LRN-C) State Chemical
Terrorism Laboratories,
- ensuring secure storage for forensic blood and urine specimens, and
- reporting test results to affected hospitals and clinics for proper patient management.
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Some chemical warfare agents and other toxic chemicals do not persist in the environment for very
long and are very difficult, if not impossible, to detect after awhile. Analyzing clinical
specimens collected from people potentially exposed to a chemical warfare agent or toxic industrial
chemical is oftentimes necessary to:
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Identify an unknown toxic chemical substance
Determine exposure levels in sick people
Establish appropriate therapeutic dosages
Identify “worried well” individuals
Assess geographical and temporal extents of exposure, and
Provide evidentiary information for law enforcement
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Alfred E. Asato, Ph.D.
Chemical Response Laboratory Coordinator
2725 Waimano Home Road
Pearl City, HI 96782
Phone: (808) 453-6748
Emergency Phone: (808) 864-5216
Fax: (808) 453-6662
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