WMDtox Coatings: Self-Decontamination Becomes a Reality

Electronics, clothing, vehicle surfaces and weapons – what is the common denominator?  Our soldiers need to touch the surfaces of these everyday items to carry out their mission.  If they can’t touch mission critical items, our forces are at a disadvantage.  One way to prevent warfighters from using their equipment is the use of chemical warfare agents that deny access to all the surfaces in a contaminated area.  If a soldier suspects that an item’s surface is contaminated with a chemical agent, that soldier can’t directly touch it until it has been thoroughly decontaminated.  If the soldier touches a contaminated piece of equipment, the consequences can be dire not only for the soldier, but additionally for the medical staff that treats him. 

Twelve dead.  Nine hundred and eighty injured with about 500 victims requiring hospital admission.  Those were the direct casualties of unprotected Tokyo civilians during the sarin subway attacks in 1995.  First responders and hospital staff were still injured by secondary exposure even though they were better prepared and forewarned that some type of poison