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More than 600 University of New Mexico researchers and staff are busy these days counting jars and vials by order of the federal Department of Homeland Security.

The inventory of potentially dangerous substances is required by federal anti-terrorism standards for chemical facilities. UNM must report the number, quantity and location of every chemical in its possession that appears on the "Chemicals of Interest List."

Laura Keehner, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, said the regulations apply to every type of facility in the country that houses large amounts of chemicals.

"Chemical sites could potentially be used against us, and that is exactly why we're doing this," Keehner said. "It is better to harden our critical infrastructure in facilities where these chemicals could be used against us. We want to have a better understanding of where these chemicals are around the country."

UNM staff has had less than two weeks to get everything counted and turn their paperwork in by Jan. 25 to Lowell White, manager of chemical hygiene in the university's Department of Safety and Risk Services.

White was hired Nov. 5, just three days after the list was published. He said some researchers have as many as several thousand vials of chemicals that must be counted; however, he said, the staff is expected by the university to fit this task into their normal work week before classes start Jan. 22.

"Most universities were a little bit surprised because, for the most part, researchers or investigators only buy a bottle here or a bottle there," White said. "So why us?"

After he receives the initial counts, White will double-check everything and send his report to the department by March 20. White said between now and the deadline, work on this project could amount to as many as 10,000 man-hours.

"I don't really see the university as being a place where a terrorist could really procure a sufficient amount of chemical to do much damage or cause much mayhem, in my opinion," White said. "But the law makes it clear. We will do everything we can to comply by our deadline."

White said that while most of the university's chemicals are not dangerous on their own, they could be harmful if put in the hands of the wrong person. Most are kept under lock and key.

Chemicals on the list are divided into three categories. Because UNM has only limited quantities of the most dangerous chemicals — ones that can be toxic, flammable, or explosive — it is excused from reporting them. As a result, the list of chemicals that must be accounted was whittled from 342 to 147.

"I have to applaud the fact that (the department) tried to be reasonable," White said. "They recognized fact that we didn't have tanker truck quantities."

UNM is considering bids to bring in a central inventory computer system, in which the data and location for every chemical the university has from this point on will be stored. White said this will enable the university to comply with requests from the department in the future.

However, White expressed some reservations about storing all the data on the chemicals of interest in one place.

"We have to report that information and it becomes available and somebody with an ulterior motive could potentially get their hands on it and do some bad things — that's my only worry," White said.