The work of emergency responders is constantly changing. In addition to being responsible for “typical” disasters — fire, industrial chemical spills, gas releases and the like — fire and emergency departments now may be called on to respond in the wake of a terrorist attack. How is technology responding to these demands?

Several groups are pooling their resources to develop innovative products and technologies to better equip emergency responders with the necessary tools to protect themselves and communities from chemical, biological, and radiological threats. Several products recently have entered the marketplace to better equip responders against both daily hazards and looming terrorist threats. Commercial entities, government research laboratories and even universities have developed these new technologies, and many have been federally subsidized or supported. Although most were developed for use by the military, many have homeland defense applications. In general, these products can be divided into three functional categories: protection, decontamination and shelter.

Know your enemy

The first step in protection is identifying the hazard. Monitors and detectors are widely used to determine not only what agents or chemicals are present, but also at what concentrations. This allows emergency responders to adequately assess the situation and react effectively.

Safety Solutions Inc. of Boynton Beach, Fla., created the HazMat Smart Strip, which uses color change to indicate the presence of chemicals like chlorine, fluoride, nerve agents, oxidizers, arsenic, sulfides, and cyanide in both liquid and aerosol form. The baseball card — size strips are available in peel-and-stick adhesive or clip form and are operational for 12 hours or until exposure to a chemical.

While conventional detectors have proved effective, new technologies are enabling better monitoring. The MultiRae Plus, developed by Rae Systems of Sunnyvale, Calif., is a gas monitor designed to effectively sense the presence of volatile organic compounds below the sensitivity levels of LEL sensors found in typical multi-gas monitors. The MultiRae is designed for use in emergency response and confined-space sampling, and measures 0 2,000ppm on its patented VOC monitor while providing continuous display and alarms. Configurable as a simple oxygen/LEL monitor or an five-gas monitor, its internal memory holds response factors for 37 common LEL gases and 60 common VOCs.

In addition to identification of hazards, responders need personal protective gear to effectively shield them from the broadest range of known or unknown hazardous chemicals. TriCon Environmental Inc., Auburn, Ala., has created the Chem-Bio Response Pak, a suit constructed of protective fabric that consists of a mask, respirator and cartridge, inner and outer gloves, and booties. The suit provides Level C protection and is ideal for situations where protection from chemical or biological agents is needed but fresh air packs are not desirable, says John Garner, TriCon project manager.

For protection against increased levels of contamination, DuPont of Wilmington, Del., has designed a line of suits for dealing with hazardous materials, including chemical warfare agents. The Responder suit provides protection against an expansive range of more than 230 chemicals. The Responder CSM suit is a variation of the original Responder and is designed specifically to handle prolonged exposure to chemical warfare agents such as mustard, soman, sarin and tabun. Co-developed with Geomet Technologies, the Responder CSM suit protects against toxic chemicals and chemical warfare agents for eight hours without breakthrough.

Defensive line

Once the hazard has been identified, the situation must be assessed and appropriate steps taken to ensure public safety. This is an area where the “traditional” emergency response community has been lacking in effective technologies to respond to emergencies that may involve a WMD incident. Technologies originally developed for military applications are helping to fill this void.

FSI North America, based in Berea, Ohio, sells a range of products that support decontamination operations. One of the most popular is the portable hazmat/decon shower, which comes in several shapes and configurations including a shower/shelter combination. Innovative features of FSI decon showers are the showerheads and spray nozzles. Designed for burn victims or those with chemical skin damage, the nozzles help to avoid the pain and further damage commonly associated with decontamination using typical commercial jet nozzles.

For surfaces contaminated by a radiological threat, such as from a “dirty bomb,” RSG-Technologies Inc. of Dover, N.H., has created a line of dry-ice decontamination equipment called ICEsonic. The ICEsonic product line uses solid pellets of carbon dioxide to remove nuclear particles from the surface. Carbon dioxide vaporizes quickly and leaves no residual, says Jeffrey Lapointe, the company's president and CEO. Lapointe explains that the purpose of the ICEsonic products is to decontaminate surfaces, but a secondary vacuum or other contamination containment system is needed to contain dust or other particles removed from the surface.

Appropriate shelter is another key component of effective and successful response. During emergency situations shelters serve not only as command centers, but also as stations for treating victims. Several commercially available shelters originally were developed for military use and now are being adapted for use in the hazmat/emergency response industry. Base-X is a military shelter developed by Bea Maurer Inc. of Fairfield, Va. that is available in seven different configurations for adaptation in under several circumstances. The shelters were successfully tested at the U.S. Army's Aberdeen Proving Grounds against snow, driving rain and winds up to 65mph. A shielded liner is available and capable of sealing radio and computer communications inside. The units are structured to allow for electricity hookups and are capable of heating/air conditioning configuration.

All they can be

All of these technologies have one thing in common: They originally were developed with military applications in mind. The sources of these new technologies fall into three categories: private or public companies, commercial or government labs, and universities. Most commercial research and product development is driven by identified market needs that can be turned quickly into a sellable product. Government research laboratories conduct fundamental research, typically focusing in areas that will benefit the federal agency that directly funds them, such as the departments of Defense, Energy, Agriculture and the like. Many times this technology is never expanded into other areas of interest due to the limited scope of the individuals conducting the research.

Who then focuses on the fundamental research that covers all areas of technology? Colleges and universities typically have been hot beds of development for revolutionary products that change the way people think. Although the majority of the ideas investigated are lost in university file cabinets, there is an increasing trend to commercialize these technologies. Benefits from this commercialization process include earning revenue for the university through patent licenses, creating jobs in the community, and benefiting society as a whole through the development and use of new technology.

The federal government uses Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer programs to fund these early-stage technologies. The 1982 Small Business Innovation Development Act requires federal departments and agencies to reserve a portion of their research and development funds for award to small businesses. The largest of these budgets belongs to the Department of Defense. This research funding is proving to be a valuable asset as the nation strives to increase its homeland security.

An illustration of this process can be found in Manhattan, Kan. In the mid-1970s, Dr. Kenneth J. Klabunde, now a distinguished professor of chemistry at Kansas State University, and his team attempted to isolate metal atoms and study their properties. He noticed the atoms tended to form small “nanoclusters” with different properties than naturally occurring metals. In the 1980s, Klabunde sought uses for these tiny clusters, and advances in analytical equipment allowed closer examination of their properties. One of the first observations, says Klabunde, was that the metal clusters offered possibilities as “unique catalysts.”

Klabunde continued researching the metal nanoparticles and expanded his work into creating organometallic and metal oxide nanoparticles. “We began to realize we had real expertise in producing these unique materials,” he says. In 1995, Klabunde applied for and was awarded a $60,000 Small Business Innovation Research grant for “Destructive Absorbents for Chemical Agents and Hazardous Chemicals” from the Army Research Office. Using this award and an exclusively licensed patent portfolio from Kansas State University, Klabunde founded Nantek Inc.

Big rewards

In Nantek's case, the Army was interested in using Klabunde's metal oxide nanocrystals as a destructive adsorption technology that could serve as an alternative to the environmentally riskier incineration of chemical warfare agents such as mustard gas, tabun, sarin, soman and VX. “It is, I think, a very promising technology,” said Dr. Stephen Lee, chief of organic chemistry with the Army Research Office. “It's a bigger bang for the buck.”

Since then, the company, now under the name NanoScale Materials Inc., has received over $13 million in SBIR and other research funding to further develop its nanochemistry-based technologies. NanoScale provides not only a line of 10 NanoActive specialty chemicals, but also has created a nanochemistry-based product to expand emergency responders and hazmat teams' capabilities.

First-Applied Sorbent Treatment Against Chemical Threats, or FAST-ACT, is a proprietary formulation of nontoxic nanomaterials effective for neutralizing a wide range of toxic chemicals, with the added capability to destroy chemical warfare agents. NanoScale developed the product from its original military applications to the emergency responder community to provide improved protection against and treatment for potential chemical hazards. FAST-ACT is offered in pressurized cylinders capable of addressing both liquid and vapor hazards, as well as in manually dispersed containers for liquid hazard treatment. It can be safely applied to any liquid spill or vapor release, allowing emergency responders to treat a situation even if they aren't able to immediately identify the hazard.

Jerry Snyder, assistant chief of operations for the Manhattan (Kan.) Fire Department, says that, “FAST-ACT enables our team to utilize one product when responding to any chemical situation whether we face an acid, ammonia or even a pesticide. It virtually eliminates the chance of an adverse chemical reaction, saves valuable truck space, and reduces time spent on-site.”

The dry-powder formulation uses patented reactive nanoparticle technologies to bind with hazards and chemically convert them to safer byproducts. The system offers significant advantages over conventional hazard treatments, including the capability to destroy chemical warfare agents. Tested by the U.S. Army Soldier and Biological Chemical Command and Battelle Memorial Institute, the sorbent removes more than 99.6% of VX, soman and mustard gas from surfaces in less than 90 seconds, converting the agents to safer byproducts. An advantage of the product line over conventional methods is the capability to immediately treat hazardous chemical incidents of known or unknown origin.

NanoScale is one of many companies that have begun the trend of using university research and government dollars to develop products not just for the military or emergency responders, but for a variety of industries including the agricultural, environmental and medical fields. This is a trend that will continue to grow in the future, and as it does we can expect to see a flood of new technologies that offer an increasing number of benefits.

The role of emergency responders is changing, and technology has brought forth several new products to aid in the fight. Whether the product has its roots in commercial, government or university labs, each will help emergency responders continue to protect the public in the face of any accident scenario.

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Bret Lanz is the product development manager at NanoScale Materials Inc. He holds a master's of business administration from Kansas State University. He works with state and local fire departments to adapt and develop products for the emergency response community, and he can be reached at blanz@nanoactive.com.

Jessica Holmes received a bachelor's of science degree in chemical engineering in 2003 and works in the development and promotion of emergency response products. She can be reached at jholmes@nanoactive.com.

Nanotechnology Defined

The National Nanotechnology Initiative budget request for FY 2003 by President George W. Bush was nearly $710 million, ensuring that nanotechnology will eventually affect all areas of research. At this time a major focus has been on the development of technology for military applications.

Nanotechnology is the art of manipulating materials on an atomic or molecular scale to enhance their physical or chemical properties. The prefix “nano-” means one-billionth. A nanoparticle is typically between 1 and 100 nanometers in diameter and is made up of 10 to 10,000 atoms.

In March 2002, the U.S. Army selected Massachusetts Institute of Technology as the recipient of a $50 million proposal for the Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies. The program objectives are to create lightweight molecular materials to equip foot soldiers with uniforms and gear that can heal them, shield them, and protect them against chemical and biological warfare.

“Our goal is to help greatly enhance the protection and survival of the infantry soldier using nanoscience and nanotechnology” said Ned Thomas, the Morris Cohen Professor of Materials Science and Engineering and director of the ISN, in a press statement

“This will be achieved by creating, then scaling up to a commercial level, revolutionary materials and devices composed of particles or components [often] so tiny that hundreds could fit on the period at the end of this sentence. The idea is to incorporate these nanomaterials and nanodevices into the future soldier's uniform, and associated equipage like helmets and gloves.”

Although many of these ideas are still conceptual in nature, a new book, Nanotechnology and Homeland Security by Daniel and Mark Ratner, explains what is scientifically feasible today and what needs to be done to transform tomorrow's applications from science fiction into reality. Their book discusses the significant opportunity to use nanotechnology to combat terrorism and other threats to security. Topics covered in the book include nanotechnology-based:

• Sensors for fast, cheap, accurate tests for explosives, radiation, weapons of mass destruction and contaminants.
• Smart materials for protecting homes, offices and first responders.
• Medical research and treatments for chemical/biological attacks and trauma.
• Energy generation technologies to end the world's dependence on oil.
• Remediation technologies to heal the effects of environmental damage and ecoterrorism.

University-Government Alliance

In October, Colorado State University was awarded a grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, to construct a $22.1 million laboratory facility that will expand the university's ongoing work in infectious disease and biodefense as part of national efforts to improve biosecurity around the country.

The new facility will operate in conjunction with the university's Rocky Mountain Institute for Biosecurity Research and will partner with eight Rocky Mountain land grant universities where research and outreach capabilities are focused on protecting the nation's human and economically important plant and animal resources.

The Rocky Mountain Institute for Biosecurity Research focuses on biosecurity concerns and research associated with infectious disease, plant and animal biological agents, and atmospheric sciences, according to the the April 4 The Rocky Mountain Collegian. Each of these areas of CSU research have a history of federal government support.

Atmospheric science researchers have been doing research for the Department of Defense since 1986, and the new institute gives the opportunity to study the propagation of chemical and biological threats in air and water, said John Forsythe, assistant director of Department of Geosciences and Atmospheric Research. This understanding, explained Forsythe, will enable better response and neutralization of a threat.

The CSU Department of Environmental health is working with the Department of Agriculture to improve readiness and response plans for biological attacks on livestock and food supplies. CSU also has had a 30-year relationship with the Center for Disease Control office in Fort Collins.

Product Links

DuPont
Responder, Responder CSM chemical suits
www.personalprotection.dupont.com

FSI North America
Decon Showers and Shelters
www.fsinorth.com

Bea Maurer Inc.
Base-X Shelters
www.beamaurer.com

NanoScale Materials Inc.
FAST-ACT neutralization system
www.fast-act.com

Rae Systems
MultiRae Plus gas detector
www.raesystems.com

RSG-Technologies
ICEsonic CO₂ cleaning system
www.rsg-technologies.com

Safety Solutions Inc.
Hazmat Smart Strip chemical detector
www.testsymptomsathome.com

TriCon Environmental Inc.
Chem-Bio Response Pak
www.tricon-env.com