I admire firemen and paramedic, and seriously don’t think they get paid enough for constantly putting their lives on the line, but I can’t even come close to imaging the stress they must experience when they enter an area that could contain toxic chemical. Thankfully a company my the name of Morphix has come up with a great device that the first responders can wear on their wrists that can act as an early warning system for them.
Called the Chameleon it holds ten disposable cassettes that each can detect a different toxic chemical. It does this by the viewable window of a cassette for a chemical changing color. There is no calibration needed and they unit can even be immersed in salt or fresh water and still work.
The Chameleon was originally developed for the U.S. Marine Corps so was designed to withstand some punishment and work in hot and cold conditions. It was also designed to be worn over clothing and be configurable to meet the needs of specific missions.
But with the increasing risk of toxic gas exposure to first responders, Morphix Technologies is also touting the benefits of the Chameleon for firefighters, police and emergency medical personnel. In addition to dangers posed by backyard meth labs, Morphix points out that chemical suicide (sometimes called detergent suicide), which involves mixing common household chemicals to create a cloud of poisonous gas in an enclosed space, is on the rise.
via GizMag
