Chemical Protection Group

Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering

The chemical protection group is involved in the development and assessment of performance of chemical protective equipment, in collaboration with the military, first responders, and industry. In addition, fundamental research into the properties of protective materials and adsorbents is performed. Both respiratory and body protection concepts are investigated. The active carbon group is involved in fundamental studies of adsorbents that can be used for respiratory and skin protection. Evaluations of protective performance of materials and systems is also performed, with systems evaluated in the Chemical Protective Clothing Test Facility.

Firefighter bunker gear is tested

Civilian first responders such as firefighters are concerned with protection against chemical agents released in a terrorist incident. Here, firefighter bunker gear is evaluated for the US Domestic Preparedness Program.

Since 1988, hundreds of tests of equipment have been performed, with types of equipment ranging from in-service and prototype military chemical protective clothing and casualty bags, through equipment used by first responders in response to terrorist incidents. Funding is provided by Defence Research and Development Canada for the assessment of Canadian Forces Nuclear-Biological-Chemical (NBC) clothing systems, both in-service and under development, for their protective capability against vapour or aerosol penetration. The chemical protection group is part of the chemical cluster of the CBRN Research and Technology Initiative of the government of Canada, and is the lead organization in a team consisting of several federal government departments and industrial partners that is developing standards for and improvements in first responder protective equipment.

An integral part of the research in the test facility involves realistic evaluations of chemical protective capability of the protective equipment. These evaluations are performed using volunteers dressed in protective clothing who perform a series of exercise within a test chamber. The volunteers are exposed to a non-toxic chemical agent simulant, either vapour or aerosol, for the duration of the test. The penetration of the simulant through the suit is assessed after the exposure by monitoring the simulant concentration in small patches placed on the skin which are designed to collect the simulant (vapour simulant). Results are used to gauge the effectiveness of the protection provided by the clothing with variation of environmental and exposure conditions and exercise levels, to provide commander's guidance and to guide equipment design. Evaluations are routinely performed on a contract basis for other civilian and military agencies.

Test volunteers in NBC protective clothing