General Capabilities Necessary to Mitigate Vulnerability

Capabihties of existing commercial sensors are limited. Most manufactured sensors are designed for use in specific environments to detect compounds of their interest. Sensor systems that can detect a large number of chemicals are needed at present. Given the high toxicity of the CWAs and TICs, detection sensitivity of many existing sensors must be improved significantly. 

Sensors to assist authorities in determining when a site is safe for normal functions to resume are required for postincident management. For that to happen, detection sensors must have significantly increased specificity and sensitivity beyond any currently available systems. 

Consequently, various subsystems will also be needed to support the development of these more sensitive instruments. Systems for reliable sample collection, sample processing, and presentation of chemicals to sensors are essential. Standardized methodologies are needed. Systematic quality assurance of sensor evaluations can only be achieved through standard methodologies that have proved successful. Toward this end, the National Institute of Standard Technologies (NIST) is in the process of generating the standard testing protocol under which all future detection devices shall be tested for certification. 

Development of sensors that can detect and identify the release of toxic materials must continue. Effective responses to the specific agent involved in a chemical attack can only be achieved through the correct choice of sensors for the job, which in turn is crucial for effective consequential management including orderly evacuation to minimize casualties. Therefore, a program with sustained funding to focus and coordinate research and development on sensors and sensor networks, with an emphasis on fielding systems, is needed. 

The following sections provide an example of how a detection device is tested in general to qualify as a viable device. The protocol was developed specifically for the DPP for detector evaluation. Although the protocol is limited in scope, it has demonstrated effectiveness in general characterizations of devices tested thus far. It 

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