Vapor Detector Kit

By March 1942 a number of blister gas detectors, all of which were based on color changes in a dye base and had their origins in British and American developments in 1918, had been standardized. They included the M4 vapor detector kit, capable of registering even faint concentrations of nitrogen and sulphur mustards M5 liquid vesicant detector paint M6 liquid vesicant detector paper and M7 vesicant detector crayon, sensitive to mustard and lewisite. Although the CWS had not discovered a better dye base than that developed by the British, NDRC chemists at the University of Chicago, at the University of Virginia, and at Ohio State improved its composition and developed new detector materials. ... 

The CWS procured over 40,000 M4 vapor detector kits for detection of toxic agents in 1942 through contracts in the New York and Chicago procurement districts. No unusual problems arose in the procurement of this relatively simple item. In mid-1943, as indicated elsewhere, the M4... 

This material has been used by the military as a simulant of a nonpersistent agent to evaluate chemical equipment. It is also used to activate detector kits and alarms. It has been used during field exercises to simulate the threat posed by toxic agent vapor and assist in training soldiers on the proper use of protective equipment. 

M256-Series Chemical Agent Detector Kit A kit used by military personnel to detect and identify field concentrations of nerve, blister or blood agent vapors. The kit consists of twelve samplers/detectors and a packet of M8 detector paper. It is used at the squad, crew or section level to detect and identify field concentrations of nerve, blister or blood agents vapors. It is usually used to determine when it is safe to unmask, to locate and identify chemical hazards, and to monitor decontamination effectiveness. 

The most widely available U.S. military detector for chemical agent vapors is the M256A1 Chemical Agent Detector Kit. These kits contain cards with vials of liquid chemical reagents attached that are combined and exposed to the air in a specific sequence. The kits must be manually manipulated, and the full sequence of tests takes 20 to 25 minutes. These kits are the most sensitive detector of nerve agent vapor and are not subject to the same type of interferents that can cause false alarms in some of the electronic detector systems. 

MARK 1 Detector Kit Chemical Agent Residual Vapor (RVD)... 

For amine regenerator reboilers, at Amoco Oil we used a commercially available leak detector kit. Sulfur hexafluoride was injected into the reboiler steam and the reboiler vapor outlet was then monitored for SF. The detector is sensitive to 1 ppb (billion). The commercially available unit I m familiar with is sold under the trademark of Huortracer Analyzer. Both the analyzer and a SF dispenser are needed. 

Detection. Automatic detectors are available which detect attack concentrations of vapors of hydrogen cyanide, cyanogen chloride and cyanogen bromide. Draeger tubes are also available, as are water testing kits. 

The M256A1 kit includes enzyme-based detector "tickets," which change color to indicate low concentrations of cyanide, vesicant, and nerve agents in vapor form. The tests take approximately 15 minutes. Sensitivity is such that the tickets may provide a negative reading at concentrations below that immediately dangerous to life and health (IDLH) but still... 

Colorimetric qualitative detectors should not be used as the sole means for the detection of toxic vapors. However, these devices are suitable for use in low-risk settings where they can be worn on the exterior of PPE. Military M9 and M256 kits are examples of kits that wiU detect gases. The military M8 kit is an example of a kit that will detect chemical liquids. 

For gas chromatography with a thermal conductivity detector, it is possible to collect samples that have passed through the column. One method uses a gas-collection tube (see Figure 22.10), which is included in most microscale glassware kits. A collection tube is joined to the exit port of the column by inserting the fS/S inner joint into a metal adapter, which is connected to the exit port. When a sample is eluted from the column in the vapor state, it is cooled by the connecting adapter and the gas-collection tube and condenses in the collection tube. The gas-collection tube is removed from the adapter when the recorder indicates that the desired sample has completely passed through the column. After the first sample has been collected, the process can be repeated with another gas-collection tube. 

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