Contemporary Science Issues

Lesson10: Chemical warfare – a suit for chemical man

© 2006 Gatsby Technical Education Projects

A Suit For Surviving in a Toxic

Environment

Chemical Warfare Suits

Chemical Warfare Suits

Chemical Warfare Suits

Chemical Warfare Suits

Why do people need this protective clothing?

Biological and Chemical Warfare

Industrial Processes

Industrial Accidents

Road accidents/derailment

Features for a Suit

•All over body protection

• Light weight

•Allows water vapour due to sweating to leave the suit •The wearer must be able to pick things up

•Must not allow harmful chemicals to enter

•A gas mask to protect the wearer from any gases

•Protect the wearer from any liquids coming into contact with the skin

•Allows mobility

• This suit is moulded to the shape of the wearer, allowing the skin to ‘breathe’ but acts as a barrier and does not allow more harmful molecules to enter.

• It is seamless and microporous; it allows water vapour to pass through, but stops small particles and liquids from entering.

• It uses the latest nano-technology.

• This is the US army’s latest idea for protecting its soldiers from biological and chemical weapons.

Some Information

The suit acts as barrier, blocking any harmful substances from passing through it and coming into contact with the skin.

The problem that modern chemical warfare suits have is that they allow no particles to pass through, this means that soldiers often suffer from heat exhaustion because when they sweat no water vapour can leave the suit. An ideal suit would allow substances such as water, oxygen and carbon dioxide to enter and leave the suit but would not allow larger more harmful particles to pass through.

Your ChallengeYou are part of a team being paid $50 million by the US government to develop a suit that will offer maximum protection to the person wearing it.

You have available to you:

1. Lab test results on the properties of material available to use in the suit.

2. Facts about substances that the suit may be exposed to

What is a nanometre (nm)?

1 nanometre (1nm) – 0.000000001cm (1 x 10-9 cm)

Postage Stamp = 254,000,0000 nm

Dust = 1– 30,000nm

Mold Spores = 10,000 – 30,000nm

Tobacco Smoke = 10 – 1000nm

Pollen = 10,000 – 1000,000nm

You have been given measurements in nanometres but what is a nanometre?

Part One - The analysis and testing of the materials available to you has been prepared. You must use this and the information about the chemical molecules to suggest a design for the suit. You have only 15 minutes to analyse the information and 10 minutes to design your suit. You must be prepared to present your ideas to your fellow scientists and justify your reasons.

You may consider:

• Does your material allow carbon dioxide, water and oxygen to diffuse through it?

• Would it be advantageous to use different materials for different parts of the suit? Eg. the main part of the suit, gas mask and gloves?

• Are there any parts of the suit that you would not like to be permeable?

• Is your suit not suitable for use with any particular substance?

Material/s used

Protects against?

Does not protect against?

Where used?

Top 5 sales features

Design problems

Name of suit: Manufacturer: