The A/DAM–SVS (Agilent/Dynatherm (Chemical) Agent Monitor – Spectral Verification System) for Agent Identification and Monitoring

• Designed to meet the demanding requirements for responding to a suspected chemical warfare agent or toxic industrial chemical incident, A/DAM-SVS provides:
• Rapid deployment and transportability
• Remote operation
• Analysis for solid, liquid, or air samples
• Rapid and conclusive screen for CW Agent and Toxic Industrial Compounds
• Gas Chromatographic/Mass Spectral Agent and TIC identification and confirmation
• Quantitative assessment of CW Agent and TIC levels
• Sensitivity to measure and monitor CW Agents at safe exposure levels (0.2 TWA – Time Weighted Average)
• Analytical results from the world’s best selling GC/MS system
• Identical capability and compatibility with fixed laboratory analytical instrumentation

The A/DAM-SVS is based upon the capabilities of the Agilent 6852 GC (a modified version of the 6850 GC containing two single wavelength flame photometric detectors FPD), the CDS/Dynatherm IACEM 980 Thermal Desorption system, the Agilent GC and GC/MSD ChemStation, and the Agilent 5973N MSD (Mass Selective Detector). The A/DAM-SVS gives the emergency responder the capabilities to specifically and sensitively analyze for hazardous chemical compounds ranging from Toxic Industrial Compounds (TIC’s) to Chemical Warfare (CW) agents. The emergency responder can run air, liquid, or solid samples and get specific and comprehensive analysis without compromising analytical integrity or completeness.

The A/DAM-SVS is not a scaled back version of the laboratory GC/MS, it is the exact same instrument found on the laboratory bench! In fact, the A/DAM-SVS is designed to be rapidly deployable from the lab bench to the mobile platform.

The A/DAM-SVS comes mounted on a metal plate so that this analytical system can be moved as a single unit. One must simply break and then re-establish the electrical and gas connections to deploy from the lab bench to the mobile lab or vice versa.

Gas, liquid, or air samples are introduced to the GC/MSD via the CDS/Dynatherm IACEM 980. Air samples are collected directly on the CDS/Dynatherm fast flow tubes or DAAMS tubes. DAAMS (Depot Area Air Monitoring System) tubes are the standard means of air sampling collection used by the military for CW agent monitoring. The IACEM 980 thermally desorbs the sample into the GC column in the 6852 GC’s oven, thus starting the chromatographic analysis. The sample is chromatographed and as the compounds elute they are split between an FPD to screen for CW agents and the MSD to look for and identify TIC’s and/or provide spectral verification of CW agents.

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The FPD (flame photometric detector) is the workhorse detector for CW agents. The FPD is selective for compounds containing sulfur or phosphorous which are found in the majority of CW agents. In an unknown situation such as an emergency event, the FPD’s selectivity allows the responder to quickly determine if a CW agent is present, and therefore take the appropriate action. The FPD also provides the sensitivity required to look for CW agents at levels below where exposure is considered safe for the emergency responder. The responders may then perform their duties without personal protective equipment (PPE). These levels, known as the TWA level (time weighted average), are toxicologically determined and set forth by regulatory agencies and are deemed safe enough for an individual to be exposed for 8 hours, 5 days per week, for 40 years. The A/DAM-SVS monitors for all CW agents at 0.2 TWA.

Having this level of sensitivity allows the emergency responder the capability to:

• establish safe/unsafe perimeters
• know when it is safe to remove PPE
• monitor a casualty and determine if the individual is “safe” for standard medical handling
• determine if items in the exposed area have been sufficiently decontaminated

The A/DAM-SVS is designed so that it can be operated remotely, and thereby reduce the number of personnel that have to be downrange. The ChemStation controls the instrumentation, acquires the data, and allows for data communication via inter/intranet communication. Because the interface from the instruments to the ChemStation is via standard TCP/IP LAN the ChemStation can be equipped with a wireless LAN interface. The wireless LAN interface allows the ChemStation to be removed from the instrument so that it can be remotely operated. The scientists can change the operating parameters, review the data, and communicate the results from a safe distance away without having to be in full Level A PPE. This allows the team to operate more safely and for longer time periods without the added fatigue and stress of operating in Level A.

The A/DAM-SVS is also a completely closed system so that no potentially dangerous vapors can escape and render the mobile platform hazardous. In fact once the sample has been prepared and placed in a sealed vial, the user does not need to remain in Level A.