SEACOAST SCIENCE, INC. — Department of Health and Human Services SBIR Phase I: NIOSH

Description

Project SummaryRespirator masks are worn by workers in many industriessuch as oil and gasmetal workinghazardous materialsenvironmental clean upand chemical research and manufacturingThe most common type of respirator mask is one where the user replaces the filter cannister or cartridge periodicallyThese cartridges cost approximately $to $depending on level of protection and manufacturerThe service life of a replaceable filter cartridge is not specific to the application and can vary greatly depending on the wearerandapos s lung capacitystrenuousness of the worktype and concentration of chemical exposureand environmental factorsService life may range from minutes to daysCurrently there are nosmartfilter cartridges capable of reliably alerting the wearer to imminent chemical breakthrough and subsequent loss of protection against chemical injuryThis proposal describes a novel use of low cost microsensors to develop new Smart Respirator masks to help protect workers from inhalation exposure to harmful chemical vaporsSeacoast ScienceIncproposes developing embeddable detectorsOperating specification for the embeddable detectors will be provided by specifications provided by HoneywellInca major respirator manufacturerThe proposed detectors will monitor the remaining service life of replaceable chemical vapor filter cartridges used for a wide range of high risk occupationsincluding workers in the oil and gaspaintingmetal workingand hazardous materials industriesHoneywell is developing a wireless interface which will interrogate embedded sensors for an indication of remaining service lifeThis is the first step toward smart clothing and other protective equipment for workers in other chemical industriesUltimatelythe detectors can be wirelessly linked to an exposure location mapping systemto help identify chemical leaksso the workplace can be made saferFor high polarity chemicals such as aldehydes and ethersSeacoastandapos s chemicapacitor is an ideal detectorFor lower polarity chemicals such as most petrochemicals and chlorocarbonsSeacoast proposes an impedancebased detectorTo prove feasibility in Phase ISeacoast will develop a set of detectors for three common chemicalstoluenetrichloroethyleneand acetonedesigned to meet specifications for sizepowertransduction mechanismresponsivityand minimum sensitivitySeacoastandapos s Phase I objectives are todevelop and optimize the detectorsdemonstrate that when these devices are embedded into a filter bedat various locationsthey can be used to develop a spatial temporal model of chemical breakthroughto deliver working prototypes to Honeywell for testing in their labsanddevelop designs for Phase II optimizationextensive testingand pre productionSmart RespiratorsEmbedded detectors for real time monitoring of end of service life in respirator filter cartridgesPROJECT NARRATIVE This proposal describes a novel use of low cost microsensors to develop new SmartRespirator masks to help protect workers from inhalation exposure of harmful chemicalsSeacoast ScienceIncwill develop embeddable detectors using specifications provided by HoneywellInca respirator manufacturerto monitor the remaining service life in replaceable chemical vapor filter cartridgesThe sensors will detect chemical vapors used for a wide range of high risk occupationsincluding workers in the oil and gaspaintingmetal workingand hazardous materials industries