When Every Second Counts: RJ Lee Group’s Mobile PTR-TOF-MS in Incident & Emergency Response

At RJ Lee Group, we maintain five mobile PTR-TOF-MS platforms ready to respond when incidents happen. We bring fast, high-confidence detection so that emergency responders, regulators, and communities have the info they need—right now.

Proven in Action: East Palestine, Ohio

• After February 3, 2023, when a train derailment caused chemical fires, controlled burns, and potential hazardous VOC releases, one major challenge was rapidly identifying airborne contaminants impacting air quality and public health.

• Mobile air sampling (van-based mass spectrometry) was used in the vicinity, mapping upwind and downwind of the site. These data showed elevated levels of several gases—acrolein among them—above baseline, which can carry health risks if exposures persist.

• Local, state, and federal agencies deployed mobile labs (like EPA’s TAGA mobile lab) and continuous perimeter and work-zone air monitoring stations.

These responses underscored a key need: real-time, high-sensitivity monitoring that can pinpoint volatile organic compound sources, assess release magnitudes, and support fast decision making.

1. Identify what’s in the air.

2. Quantify what’s escaping and where.

3. Guide emergency operations and protective actions (evacuations, shelter-in-place, etc.).

4. Communicate credible data to regulators, first responders, and public stakeholders. 

Mobile sample collection, testing, and analysis provides answers where and when you need them.

At RJ Lee Group, we maintain five mobile PTR-TOF-MS platforms ready to respond when incidents happen. We bring fast, high-confidence detection so that emergency responders, regulators, and communities have the info they need—right now.

How Our Five Mobile PTR-TOF-MS Units Add Value

• • Immediate deployment: We can arrive on scene quickly, not relying solely on fixed stations nor delayed lab analyses.

  • Full BTEX / VOC tracking: Our instruments capture benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes, and more in real time—helping isolate leaks, spills, or burning materials.

  • Spatial resolution: By driving/flying around, or sampling at multiple points, we map concentration gradients upwind/downwind and across fencelines or community perimeters.

  • Quantifiable flux & source attribution: We don’t just detect; we help estimate the emission volume, direction, and likely source—critical in emergencies for mitigation strategies and for communicating with stakeholders.

  • Supporting regulatory & public health mandates: When incidents raise air quality or health concerns (as in East Palestine, where communities reported symptoms and sought clarity), having defensible, transparent data matters.

Mobile units provide rapid response wherever there is a need.