NEGATIVE/CHEMICAL & BIOLOGICAL

NEW FOAM SOLVES FOR CHEMICAL-BIOLOGICAL ATTACK

A NEW FOAM CAN DEFEND AGAINST CHEMICAL & BIOLOGICAL WARFARE AGENTS

A sudsy foam created from ordinary substances found in common household products could be a first line of defense against a terrorist release of chemical or biological warfare agents. The single decontaminant is effective against all chemical and biological agents.

Researchers at the Department of Energy's Sandia National Laboratories have created a foam that begins neutralizing both chemical and biological agents in minutes. Because it is not harmful to people, it could be dispensed on the disaster scene immediately, even before casualties are evacuated.

THE NEW FOAM WORKS AGAINST THE WORST CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL AGENTS

In laboratory tests at Sandia the foam destroyed simulants of the most worrisome chemical agents (VX, mustard, and soman) and killed a simulant of anthrax, the toughest known biological agent. Against the anthrax simulant, after one hour only one anthrax spore out of 10 million was still alive.

WE CAN TRY TO DETER A CHEMICAL OR BIOLOGICAL ATTACK, BUT WE ALSO HAVE TO CLEAN IT UP

The U.S. has a number of strategies to deter a chemical or biological attack from ever occurring in this country, says Greg Thomas, Sandia program manager for chem-bio nonproliferation. "But if we are attacked," he says, "we'll need to have the tools available to respond."

THE FOAM NEUTRALIZES VIRAL PARTICLES

The foam neutralizes viral particles in minutes, as well. "It has performed superbly for all the agents we have tested it against," Tadros says.

Researcher Mark Tucker compares petri dishes in his Sandia lab.

More tests planned for April will pit the foam against real anthrax and other bacterial spores.

"If you can kill spores, you can kill germinating bacteria and you can deactivate viruses," says foam co-developer Mark Tucker of Sandia. "Spores are the most difficult."

THE FOAM NEUTRALIZES CHEMICAL WEAPON AGENTS

The foam neutralizes chemical agents in much the same way a detergent lifts an oily spot from a stained shirt. Its surfactants, like those in hair conditioner, and mild oxidizing substances, like those in toothpaste, begin to chemically digest the chemical agent, seeking out the phosphate or sulfide bonds holding the molecules together and chopping the molecules into nontoxic pieces.

THE FOAM HAS BEEN DEVELOPED BY EXISTING ANTI-WMD PROGRAMS

The U.S. Department of Energy is funding development of the foam as part of its larger Chemical and Biological Nonproliferation Program. The program, initiated through the Weapons of Mass Destruction Act of 1996, seeks to develop intelligence capabilities, sensors, and other technologies that allow the U.S. to detect, deter, and respond to terrorist attacks involving weapons of mass destruction.