{"73056":{"#nid":"73056","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Chemical Companion Helps First Responders","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWhen dealing with hazardous materials - whether from a truck spill or a terrorist attack - information is critical. Before first responders can begin to aid victims and decontaminate a scene, they must determine what substances are present and understand the inherent risks to humans and the environment. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ETo help first responders and hazardous materials (hazmat) teams, researchers at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) have developed the \u0022Chemical Companion.\u0022 This software tool, which operates on Windows CE-based personal digital assistants, provides detailed information on 130 of the most common chemicals associated with hazmat incidents.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Knowing the characteristics of a chemical, such as its boiling point or density, tells us different things about how to approach the scene,\u0022 said project co-director Christina Baxter, a senior research scientist in GTRI\u0027s Health and Environmental Systems Laboratory (HESL). \u0022Suppose there\u0027s a fire. With some flammable substances, water might make the fire burn even hotter, and foam is needed to suppress the blaze.\u0022 \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ESponsored by the federal government\u0027s Technical Support Work Group, the Chemical Companion helps first responders make decisions about:\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E- Protective equipment. Different chemical agents require different protective clothing and respirators.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E- Chemical reactivity, which can result in toxic fumes, fires and explosions. For example, if bleach (sodium hypochlorite) and ammonia come into contact with each other, they can create a deadly chlorine gas.  \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E- Isolation and protective zones. Distances will vary depending on chemicals involved, the size of a spill, weather conditions and time of day. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E- Appropriate medical aid, ranging from basic to advanced life support.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E-With some chemicals like Orthene\u00c2\u00ae, which is a fire-ant killer, administering oxygen to a victim would have a detrimental effect,\u0022 noted Amy Cook, a chemist in GTRI\u0027s Electro-Optical Systems Lab (EOSL).\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EFirst responders may be able to identify chemical agents from the shape of containers, shipping papers or signs posted at the hazmat scene. But if there are no solid clues, the Chemical Companion enables responders to identify an unknown chemical by entering details about the substance\u0027s physical appearance, such as odor, color and state. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAnother option for pinpointing unknown chemicals is to report medical symptoms displayed by victims. For example, twitching, constricted pupils, excessive sweating and confusion might indicate the presence of the nerve gas sarin. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022The Chemical Companion makes it easy for first responders to access information quickly from multiple paths,\u0022 said Gisele Bennett, director of EOSL and co-principal investigator. \u0022The system is also very robust and easy to update so we can continue to add more chemicals.\u0022\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAlthough there are existing software tools for hazmat teams, these programs can cost as much as $2,000 per license. In contrast, the Chemical Companion will be free to the military, law enforcement officers and fire departments.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBesides price, other hallmarks include greater depth of information on chemicals and more detailed medical advice. What\u0027s more, the Chemical Companion features a calculator to help responders determine \u0027stay times\u0027 - how long they can remain in a contaminated zone - based on what type of protective equipment they\u0027re wearing.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Being able to accurately project stay times saves money as well as lives,\u0022 said Baxter, noting that hazmat suits are expensive - about $1,000 each. \u0022These suits can only be worn once. If we pull a first responder from a hot zone after 15 minutes when he or she could have remained safely for 45 minutes, that\u0027s a considerable cost.\u0022\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EHazmat equipment also presented a design challenge for GTRI researchers. \u0022The whole concept of user design changes dramatically when you\u0027re dealing with this kind of environment,\u0022 Bennett explained. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIndeed, to get a taste for the conditions that first responders work under, GTRI engineers donned protective gear and participated in training exercises at the Douglas County Fire Department. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022When you\u0027re in a hazmat suit, even simple tasks, like picking up a penny, can be very difficult,\u0022 said Benjamin Medlin, a GTRI software development specialist. \u0022So you can imagine how difficult it might be to use personal digital assistants - which aren\u0027t the easiest devices to use under normal conditions.\u0022 \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ETo minimize the amount of typing required to use the Chemical Companion, the GTRI team incorporated lots of dropdown menus and automatic fill-ins in the software. The program also features large lettering and shading between columns to make numbers and words easier to read from under bulky hazmat masks. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBeta-testing for the Chemical Companion began in the fall of 2005 with a number of fire departments around the country, including units in New York City, Los Angeles, Seattle and Douglas County, Ga. Researchers expect the Chemical Companion will be ready for distribution in the summer or fall of 2006.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EResearch News \u0026amp; Publications Office\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n75 Fifth Street, N.W., Suite 100\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nAtlanta, Georgia  30308  USA\u003C\/strong\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Contacts\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon (404-894-6986); E-mail: (\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E); Kirk Englehardt (404-385-0280); E-mail; (\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:kirk.englehardt@gtri.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ekirk.englehardt@gtri.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E) or Jane Sanders (404-894-2214); E-mail: (\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jane.sanders@edi.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejane.sanders@edi.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E).\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETechnical Contacts\u003C\/strong\u003E: Christina Baxter (404-894-5362); E-mail: (\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:christina.baxter@gtri.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Echristina.baxter@gtri.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E) or Gisele Bennett (404-894-0155); E-mail:   (\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:gisele.bennett@gtri.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Egisele.bennett@gtri.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E). \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter\u003C\/strong\u003E: T.J. Becker\n\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"PDA software tool helps hazmat teams identify chemical spills"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"Researchers at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) have developed the \u0022Chemical Companion,\u0022 a PDA software tool that will help first responders identify 130 of the most common chemicals associated with hazmat incidents.","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"A new PDA software tool helps hazmat teams"}],"uid":"27303","created_gmt":"2006-04-10 00:00:00","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:03:34","author":"John Toon","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2006-04-10T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2006-04-10T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"73057":{"id":"73057","type":"image","title":"Chemical Companion","body":null,"created":"1449177979","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:26:19","changed":"1475894671","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:44:31"},"73058":{"id":"73058","type":"image","title":"Researchers show Chemical Companion","body":null,"created":"1449177979","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:26:19","changed":"1475894671","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:44:31"}},"media_ids":["73057","73058"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.gtri.gatech.edu\/","title":"Georgia Tech Research Institute"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.gtresearchnews.gatech.edu\/podcast\/chemical_companion.mp3","title":"Listen to a podcast about Chemical Companion (MP3 player required)"}],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cstrong\u003EJohn Toon\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EResearch News \u0026amp; Publications Office\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/contact\/index.html?id=jt7\u0022\u003EContact John Toon\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E404-894-6986\u003C\/strong\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jtoon@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}