NEWS DIGEST
New Fibertect
The all-cotton version of the nonwoven wipe, Fibertect.
A new version of Fibertect, a nonwoven decontamination wipe created by researchers at Texas Tech University, has proven itself more viable at cleaning up a nerve chemical surrogate than the decontamination substance currently used by the US Department of Defense (DoD), which is currently being phased out. When compared to the powdered decontaminant called M-291, the all-cotton version of nonwoven wipe paired with an activated carbon centre cleaned up not only the chemical surrogate to the nerve agent soman, but also adsorbed its vapours five times better. The results were published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Engineered Fibers & Fabrics by the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry (INDA). Fibertect inventor Seshadri Ramkumar said: “This is just two nonwoven cotton layers with the carbon in between. The cotton composite takes liquid up very quickly and can adsorb vapours more efficiently than the powdered decontaminant.” A problem with the powdery form is that it leaves dirty residue, is very difficult to handle and to apply toward decontamination purposes. An added benefit of the new Fibertect is that it contains biodegradable cotton. The process to make Fibertect has received a patent and
has been validated for use as a low-cost decontamination wipe for the US military and the DHS. Also, the wipe’s qualities were re-engineered to create a better absorbent material to pick up the oil slicks inundating Gulf Coast beaches following the Deepwater Horizon disaster in 2010. The creation of Fibertect began as a need to develop a decontamination wipe system for the human skin, which was a top priority for the DoD at the time. But the powdered form is very difficult to handle and to apply toward decontamination purposes. The research was funded in part by the US DoD, Cotton Inc., the International Cotton Research Center, Texas Department of Agriculture, Cotton Foundation and The CH Foundation. zy
Cyanide antidote
Scientists have reported the discovery of a promising substance that could be the basis for the development of a better antidote for cyanide poisoning. In a report for the January 2013 edition of the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, ‘Cyanide Antidotes for Mass Casualties: Water-Soluble Salts of the Dithiane (Sulfanegen) from 3-Mercaptopyruvate for Intramuscular Administration’, a potential antidote is described that could be self-administered, much like the medication delivered by allergy injection pens. Steven E. Patterson, Ph.D. and colleagues at the University of Minnesota’s Center for Drug Design explain that at present, the only existing antidotes for cyanide - recognized as a high-risk substance for potential use by terrorists - must be administered by intravenous infusion.
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This procedure requires highly trained paramedical personnel and takes time. Cyanide, however, is a fast-acting poison and in a situation involving mass casualties, only a limited number of victims could be saved. Patterson’s team thus sought an antidote that could be
administered by intra-muscular (IM) injection, a simpler procedure that could be administered rapidly to a large number of victims or even be self-administered. Their report describes discovery of a substance, sulphanegen TEA, which should be “amenable for development as an IM injectable antidote suitable for treatment of cyanide victims in a mass casualty setting. Further development, including efficacy in lethal cyanide animal models, will be reported at a later date.” zy
EVENTS 2013
24-26 JUNE 26-29
JUNE 18 JULY
10-13 SEPTEMBER24-27
SEPTEMBER NOVEMBER 2-15 NOVEMBER 5-6 18-20 NOVEMBER
7th Annual Counter-IEDs IQPC, London
http://www.counteriedevent.com/
CBRN JIIM-IA Conference and Chemical Corps Regimental Association (CCRA) Exhibition
Ft. Leonard Wood, MO (USA)
Countering Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs)
SMi Group Masterclass Central London
www.smi-online.co.uk/countering-ieds. asp
Defence & Security Equipment International (DSEI) 2013
UK Pavilion
victoria.flett@adsgroup.org.uk
NCT: CBRNe Asia Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia www.
ibcevents.com
NCT: Counter IED Asia Bangkok, Thailand www.
ibcevents.com
XVIth International CBRN Symposium (Open)
Defence Academy of the United Kingdom, Shrivenham
http://www.cranfield.ac.uk/cds/sympo- sia/
cbrn.html
6th Annual Defeating IEDs Training and Workshops & Technology Exhibition
Brussels, Belgium
http://www.mkds-training.com/
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