Chemical Industry Garments adapted for First-Responders.

• Author: Willingham, Stephen

Researchers are discovering that protective garments designed to keep industrial-chemical workers safe in the workplace, also can protect local first-responders--firefighters, emergency medical teams and law enforcement personnel--in cases of hazardous-material spills or terrorist attacks with nuclear, biological, chemical (NBC) or conventional weapons.

"For industry, protective garments are the last line of defense," said Jim Zeigler, a research associate with Dupont's Nonwovens products division in Richmond, Va. "In the event of an NBC incident, they would be the first line of defense for the first-responder."

Materials for protective garments are made at Dupont's Richmond plant, which is located on an old, 500-acre antebellum plantation. Dupont has been manufacturing synthetic materials at this facility since 1929.

Determining the chemical or biological agents involved in an incident and assessing the extent of the damage are factors in selecting the type of protective equipment for first-responders, Zeigler explained.

Emergency teams use a standard procedure called "plume analysis"--based on how far an airborne cloud of chemical gas or contaminate can travel within a specified time frame, while factoring in wind direction and speed--to learn about the nature and scope of the incident, Zeigler told National Defense.

An accident or an attack in an urban setting would be more difficult to monitor and contain than one inside an industrial chemical storage facility or a military arsenal where air-gas-detection monitors measure the toxic level and identify the material involved, officials agreed.

All military depots are equipped with chemical monitors, so workers know what they're getting into if they experience a problem, said a spokesman for the Soldier Biological and Chemical Command. This enables personnel to dress according to the threat, the spokesman said.

To help first-responders select the appropriate level of personal protection, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), have issued a multi-level criteria for the protection of emergency workers and citizens impacted by a biological/chemical accident or attack.

Levels of Protection

* Level A, the highest category, deals with encountering a respiratory, eye and skin irritant, found in blistering agents--such as chlorine or ammonia gas-Zeigler explained. Rescue workers would approach the area wearing only Level A suits.

* Level B requires the highest level of respiratory protection, but calls for less attention to skin protection.

* Level C requires the same amount of skin protection as...