The threat of terrorist-inspired chemical attacks and its possible use in war demands the best protective wear available says Ernst Hepler		Survival instinct
			The following is not part of a science fiction novel but from a serious report on a research project being conducted by the US military: “Scientists aim to send cockroaches into battle to spy on the enemy and monitor chemical weapons. Researchers at the secretive US Defence Advance Research Project Agency have designed a means to control the insects by radio”. Anyone with any imagination can deduce from this that chemical weapons are undergoing a momentous change. The threat The programme for development, production and use of chemical weapons discovered by UNSCOM in Iraq and the mounting danger for South Korea from the chemical potential of North Korea, shows the chemical threat is still very real. And the Sarin attack on Tokyo’s subway makes it impossible to ignore changes in chemical threat since the end of the cold war and the implementation of the chemical weapons convention. The scale and content of the threat has altered considerably: massive chemical attacks are not anticipated and have reduced markedly. On the other hand, the threatened use of chemical weapons by nations with radical regimes and by terrorists has greatly increased. Conventional scenarios are less common. The consequences One result of this is that predicting chemical attacks is more complicated, despite advances in detection. In a chemical war, forces must be prepared for long periods of uncertainty that leads to an extension of the chemical warning phase. The wearing time for personal chemical protective equipment within the scope of prevention (partial protection in MOPP level 1 or 2) has greatly increased. If chemicals are present it cannot be assumed that troops affected by chemical agents can be withdrawn from contaminated areas quickly, they may have to continue their mission under full protection (MOPP level 4) for longer than expected. As a result most forces have extended the period of protection after a chemical attack from six to 24 hours. The formation of Crisis Reaction Forces and cost reduction have influenced the type and quality of chemical protective suits: They must be lightweight and suitable for extended periods of wear under all climatic conditions without seriously degrading a soldier’s operational capability. They must provide chemical protection for at least 24 hours following a chemical attack even after several field launderings. Following an increase in temperature, the contaminated garments must not desorb hazardous amounts of chemical warfare agents. The garments should have a long storage time and deliver low life-cycle costs. The solution Because of changes in chemical threat since the cold war, existing technologies for personal chemical protective clothing have been further developed in recent years. This has led to some of the new requirements being addressed. Thorough investigations by laboratories and field trials worldwide have shown that only one technology can fulfil all requirements: Saratoga, the unique patented filter layer based on spherical adsorbents fixed onto textile carrier fabrics. Because of its sophisticated construction, low thickness and high flexibility, Saratoga provides very low heat insulation and the highest possible water vapour and air permeability. The result is significantly reduced heat stress for the wearer especially in hot and humid environments. Another feature of Saratoga is its unsurpassed capacity of up to 200g/m2 of spherical adsorbents, applied to the carrier through homogeneous distribution in such a way that they do not separate, even under the strongest strain. Only such a high loading with activated carbon guarantees there is sufficient residual capacity to protect a soldier for a minimum of 24 hours after 45 days of wear and several field launderings. Safe protection also means that a contaminated Saratoga suit subjected to an increase in temperature does not desorb any harmful amounts of agent vapour, subjecting the wearer and unprotected personnel to secondary contamination. Other criteria including shelf life and versatility, and life-cycle costs, favour Saratoga, the most successful technology in chemical protective clothing. Millions of suits are in service in 17 countries and Saratoga is the only approved system used by the Joint US Forces (JSLIST suit). Inspectors of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) also are equipped with Saratoga suits. © The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons OPCW inspector at work in a Blücher/Saratoga™ suit Weapons of mass destruction still remain a major threat to the world today. The Chemical Weapons Convention, that entered force on 29 April 1997 aims to ban th use, development, production, ownership, acquisition and sale of this abhorrent category of weapons. The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), based in the Hague, the Netherlands, is responsible for the implementation of the convention. Currently, membership of the OPCW stands at 126 states parties and 44 signatory states. Over 90 per cent of the world’s population lives in the 126 member states. In just over two years, the OPCW has successfully completed over 500 inspections at chemical weapons-related sites and facilities, and the secetariat now employs over 500 people from 64 different countries.Director-General of the OPCW, Mr. José Bustani of Brazil, is delighted with the progress the OPCW has made so far. He attributes this significant accomplishment to the good faith that has been demonstrated by all member states in their commitment to achieving the goal of the organisation – a world that is free of the threat of chemical weapons.
	Joint service lightweight integrated suit technology (JSLIST) chemical protective suit