Hand-Held Chemical Analysis Instruments

Abstract

The first line of defense for military forces who might be exposed to Chemical Warfare (CW) agents is the ability to detect the presence of these colorless, odorless materials. Detection must be early enough so that the forces have an opportunity to protect themselves before they are exposed to incapacitating doses of the materials. The two detection modes that are used as this first line of defense are stand-off methods and point-sampling methods. Stand-off detection methods are defined as those where the detector is not in contact with the sample and the analytical device whereas point-sampling methods are those that require contact between the sample and the analytical device. Similar situations exist for applications in and around chemical weapons storage and destruction sites. In both situations the primary goal and use of the detector systems is to warn workers or military personnel of imminent danger associated with their possible exposure to toxic chemicals. In a closely related scenario, chemical detection devices might be used to locate contaminated areas, i.e., contamination monitoring. This overview will be limited to point-sampling methods.