The issue of detecting chemical and biological warfare agents began nearly 100 years ago when the U.S. Army Chemical Warfare Service was established in 1917.

It wasn't until the 1995 sarin nerve gas attack on the Tokyo subway system that the spotlight fell on the urban dangers of chemical warfare. Sept. 11 broadened the beam, highlighting new challenges and requiring advanced chemical sensing technologies for first responders.

While some new technologies are emerging, some existing detection systems are being enhanced, among them the U.S. military's venerable M-8 chemical detection strip, which was recently upgraded to make it more user-friendly for first responders.

Basically, M-8 paper contains compounds that produce a color change on light tan paper when the paper is dipped or wiped on a contaminated surface. Nerve agents produce a yellow-brown or a dark green, blister agents produce a red-pink color.

However, the old M-8 lacked several features end users wanted.

Previously, soldiers in combat taped M-8 paper to their uniforms. The new device, called the “Smart M-8 Nerve Agent Badge,” features a clip to fasten it to a uniform, a peel-and-stick backing that allows users to affix the product to objects, and a built-in color comparison matrix so source agents can be quickly identified.

In addition, the M-8, which comes with a clear UV-protective layer to the front to preserve the reagent material, is packaged individually so it can be easily deployed without waste. It also can be deployed with gloves.

“All peel-and-stick features can be used with gloves,” said firefighter Michael Reimer, inventor of the smart strip and co-owner of Safety Solutions Inc. in Boynton Beach, Fla., maker of Smart Badge.

The Smart M-8 gets its name from the HazMat Smart-Strip, a product that Reimer unveiled in March to assist fire, emergency medical, law enforcement, hazmat and military personnel in detecting hazardous chemicals. Reimer said he got the idea after years of watching hazmat colleagues tape pieces of pH paper and M-8 paper to their uniforms. The idea for the test strips took root last summer when Reimer sketched it on a napkin at a nightclub in Wheeling, W. Va.

Until then, responders did not have the capability of real-time monitoring within their personal protective equipment.

Electronic monitoring exists, but the cost is prohibitive due to the number of units necessary. Plus, the cost of maintaining electronic devices is not feasible because they require frequent calibration and routine maintenance that would overwhelm even larger response organizations, Reimer said.

So, Reimer founded Safety Solutions and took his concept to the National Technology Transfer Center, located on the campus of Wheeling Jesuit University, which developed the prototypes and helped with the testing.

The Smart-Strip can detect chlorine, pH, fluoride, nerve agents, oxidizers, arsenic, sulfides and cyanide in liquid or aerosol form. A change in color in any of the eight categories alerts emergency crews to get additional gear, decontaminate or evacuate.

Fire departments, law enforcement officers, branches of the military, Olympic Committees, consumers, and even towns near chemical plants all have ordered the units.