Experiments in Sheltering in Place: How Filtering Affects Protection Against Sarin and Mustard Vapor.
Abstract
A two-room cottage of conventional wooden construction was subjected to a series of transient vapor challenges with sarin, mustard, and methyl salicylate (a simulant for mustard) to measure the protection afforded by sheltering in place. The purpose of the experiments was to determine how sorption of the agent by the shell and interior surfaces of the building (passive filtering) affects protection. Experiments also measured the improvement in protection attainable by operating a consumer type indoor air purifier (with a carbon filter) in the cottage during and after the challenge. Sorption of agent vapor was found to produce substantially higher protection factors than are predicted simply by air exchange. In hour-long challenges with mustard vapor, passive filtering increased the protection provided by the cottage by a factor ranging from 15 to 50. Increases in protection factor were significant with sarin, the more volatile agent, but substantially less than were seen with mustard. Use of an indoor air purifier of 350 cfm resulted in a doubling of protection factors achieved by this cottage.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 1999
- Accession Number
- ADA365348
Entities
People
- Victor J. Arca
- William K. Blewett
Organizations
- Edgewood Chemical Biological Center