Decontamination of Personal Effects Using Humidified Chemical Hot Air Decontamination (CHAD)
Abstract
Humidified chemical hot air decontamination (CHAD) was shown to be effective at removing absorbed chemical warfare agents (CWAs) from materials, such as coating systems, after an extended aging period. Humidified CHAD was evaluated as a process to remove sulfur mustard (HD) from the personal effects of fallen warfighters. Thorough decontamination of personal items is essential before an item can be returned to a chemical casualty's family members as a keepsake. Items evaluated in this study include coins, military patches, nylon webbing, ID cards, and pocket knives. Traditionally, surfaces that readily absorb CWAs, such as fabrics, present a significant decontamination challenge. Complex features, such as grooves and multi-material interfaces, also present significant challenges to decontamination. Before performing humidified CHAD treatment, all contaminated samples were subjected to a bleach pretreatment procedure. The samples were then placed into small item vapor chambers at CHAD conditions: 170 F, ~20 relative humidity, and 2 air changes/h. The samples were removed at specified time points to develop an HD-decontamination profile on each material. Humidified CHAD treatment provided a significant reduction of remaining HD, as compared with bleach pretreatment as the only control.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2018
- Accession Number
- AD1061807
Entities
People
- Jennifer C. Piesen
- Jill L. Ruth
- Joseph P. Myers
- Kevin M. Morrissey
Organizations
- Edgewood Chemical Biological Center