Detection Performance of Chemical Agent Detector M90

Abstract

  The detection performance of an Environics OY M90 chemical warfare agent detector was investigated with nerve gases, blister agents, blood agents and related compounds. The vapors of sarin, soman, tabun, dimethylmethylphosphonate and also acetone were recognized as “NERVE”, those of mustard gas, lewisite 1 and also 2-mercaptoethanol as “BLISTER”, and those of hydrogen cyanide and cyanogen chloride as “NERVE” or none and not as “BLOOD”. Neither the vapors of solvents, such as methanol and n-hexane, nor the mixture of sarin and acetone, both of which were recognized as “NERVE”, were categorized as any chemical agent. The time from the sample drawing until the alarm indication varied with the species of chemicals, from a few seconds for sarin to a half minute for lewisite 1. Except for mustard gas, once chemical agents were drawn into the detector for two minutes, the alarm indication continued for longer than 10 minutes and it took several minutes for the maximum intensity to be reduce by half.