Biological agents detection equipment

There is a shortage of biological agent detection equipment that can be used in the field, but the market has undergone vast changes since September 11,2001, that should lead to additional units. 

The U.S. Department of Justice also has two very necessary reports for first responder organizations and hazardous materials response teams. The first such report is entitled An Introduction to Biological Agent Detection Equipment for Emergency First Responders the second such report is entitled Guide for the Selection of Chemical and Biological Detection Equipment for Emergency First Responders. Both are available online at http //www.ojp. usdoj.gov. 

A.A. Fatah, J.A. Barrett, Jr., R.D. Arcilesi, K.J. Ewing, C.H. Lattin and T.F. Moshier, An introduction to biological agent detection equipment for emergency first responders. NIJ Guide, (2001) 7-12. 

The materials for uniforms and equipment will need to provide protection from chemical and biological agents (and perhaps detect them as well), be lightweight, and provide climate control to maintain performance in extreme environments. New medicines—antivirals, antibiotics, and antifungals—will be needed to maintain the health of troops deployed in such locations. In urban areas, advanced materials are needed for robots that can enter buildings before soldiers. 

Fluctuation-Enhanced methods can be used to detect biological agents. Existing methods are slow require culturing, laborious assaying by trained personnel and bulky equipment (except some special narrowly apphcable methods for quick tests which can identify only... 

The biosensor and response system used a tiered approach. Samples of airborne biological material were taken continuously by the Joint Biological Point Detection System (JBPDS) equipment, which was not commercially available. Operation of these systems was monitored continuously at a separate control facility. Initial detection by the JBPDS equipment was followed by a second-tier assay analysis that, if positive, would result in physical collection of sampled material for additional analysis off-site. The confirmed second-tier analysis would result in notification of JBPDS leadership and shipment of a sample to the Utah Department of Health for further laboratory analysis. Because the confirmatory test would take 12-24 hours to complete, the primary function of the higher-tiered detection was to define treatment and decontamination responses (LP-3 options). Change in building or HVAC operation on the fifth and sixth floors would not be initiated until the Utah Department of Health analysis confirmed detection of a biological threat agent. 

Chief of Staff General Lyman L. Lemnitzer has stated that the development of better equipment for the detection of chemical and biological agents enjoys a high priority in our chemical and biological research and development program. 

Fig. 16-24. M8 Chemical Agent Detection Paper. A drop of mustard (H) simulant from the vial has turned the paper red. Reprinted from Brletich NR, Waters MJ, Bowen GW, Tracy MF. Worldwide Chemical Detection Equipment Handbook. Edgewood, Md Chemical Warfare/Chemical and Biological Defense Information Analysis Center October 1995 407. Photograph Courtesy of US Army Edgewood Research, Development, and Engineering Center, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md.

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