Research Highlights

Technology Performance Summary: Safety Solutions HazMat Smart-Strip^® for Toxic Industrial Chemicals

All Hazards Receipt Facilities (AHRFs) were developed to prescreen for chemical, radiochemical, and explosive hazards in samples collected during suspected terrorist attacks. The technologies used in AHRFs are intended to screen samples prior to a full analysis, helping protect responders, laboratory workers, and others from potential injury.

Evaluations of these technologies are summarized in the technology evaluation report, Testing of Screening Technologies for Detection of Toxic Industrial Chemicals in All Hazards Receipt Facilities. The toxic industrial chemicals (TICs) included in the report were chosen because they might be used during, or develop as a by-product from, a terrorist attack.

The screening technologies are intended:

• To be rapid and qualitative
• To be simple to use and of relatively low cost
• To indicate if samples contain hazardous chemicals of concern.

Not all of the technologies evaluated were deemed suitable for the AHRF, although they might be useful for responders on the scene.

Technology Evaluated: Safety Solutions HazMat Smart-Strip®

Sample Types Evaluated for Indication of:

• Hydrogen cyanide, chlorine, and hydrogen sulfide in vapor
• Cyanide, hydrogen peroxide, and fluoride in liquid

Conclusions:
The Safety Solutions HazMat Smart-Strip^®:

• Reliably detected chlorine and hydrogen sulfide vapors (i.e., 100% accuracy).
• Did not reliably detect hydrogen cyanide vapor.
• Reliably detected hydrogen peroxide in liquid samples (i.e., 100% accuracy).
• Failed to reliably detect fluoride and cyanide in liquid samples.
• Responded (color change) within seconds of exposure.
• Uses a relatively simple procedure, requiring only the removal of the protective film to expose the indicators on the card.
• Was best suited to being enclosed within a container or attached to a surface, rather than being used as a hand-held sampling tool.
• Instructions indicate that this technology is mainly used for aerosols, making the reliability of vapor and liquid tests uncertain.

Technology Description and Requirements: This device is a card that may be attached to a surface, such as a person’s clothing, by means of its adhesive backing. The front surface of the card has eight squares of colorimetric reagents that produce qualitative indications of the presence of several contaminants, including chlorine, acids or caustics (pH indication), fluoride, nerve agents, oxidizers, arsenic, hydrogen sulfide, and cyanide. Removal of a protective film exposes the reagent squares and allows any indicating reactions to take place.

Testing Methodology and Results: Vapor Sample Testing – Testing was conducted with one TIC at a time. The tested gases were generated by diluting a commercially obtained compressed gas standard. To evaluate the technology, a flow of clean air passed through the clean air plenum, and an equal flow of air containing the target TIC passed through another plenum: the challenge plenum. The instrument was connected to a 4-way valve, through which clean air or the tested gas flowed before being vented into a chemical laboratory hood. The technology was first exposed to the clean air flow. After this, the 4-way valve was switched to the challenge plenum to deliver the TIC gas. The sequence of exposure to clean air followed by exposure to the TIC gas was carried out three times in succession. This sequence was followed for each TIC and condition identified in Table 1. For this evaluation, a hydrocarbon mixture interferent was added to the blank, or TIC gas, at a ratio of 1:100 interferent mix to air flow.

Liquid Sample Testing – Because cyanide, fluoride, and hydrogen peroxide are water-soluble, water was used as a solvent. To simulate potential interfering sample matrices that might be encountered, samples were prepared using in deionized (DI) water, in municipal tap water, and in DI water containing sodium chloride (i.e., 3.0% by weight). Each screening technology was tested with three blank samples and with three samples containing the TICs. If the instrument failed to detect a TIC in all three challenge samples with the DI water matrix, then no tests were conducted with that TIC in tap or salt water.

Table 1: Summary of Safety Solutions HazMat Smart-Strip^® Test Results

^aA hydrocarbon mixture was used as the interferent.
^bTemperature and relative humidity conditions for vapor tests were: Base = 20 °C and 50% relative humidity, Low = 10 °C and 20% relative humidity, and High = 30 °C and 80% relative humidity. The solvent used for liquid testing was DI water, Tap water, or DI water + sodium chloride.
^cAEGL = Acute Exposure Guide Level; LD₅₀ = Lethal dose to half the population; and ATSDR = Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.

Contact: Eric Koglin

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