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Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Warfare Kits & Supplies

Antidote Treatment Nerve Agent (ATNAA) Autoinjector Weight: 0.02kg
The ATNAA provides Atropine and Pralidoxime chloride in a single delivery system, although the two drugs are separate within the device. The use of the device is only to be administered in the extreme case of organophosphate poisoning. The delivery system is originally designed for use by military personnel only and is only issued to Project personnel that are considered to be in immediate danger of a chemical attack or work in a position (such as ordnance disposal) where there is a high likelihood of nerve agent exposure. By design, autoinjectors are easy to use and are intended for self-administration by patients. The site of injection depends on the drug loaded, but it typically is administered into the thigh or the buttocks.

Battle Dress Overgarment (BDO) Weight: 5.5kg
The BDO has been designed with new features that increase protection in a chemical environment and that make wearing the suit less of a heat burden. The suit has more activated charcoal than the previous model, a novel outer cloth weave, and an outer cloth "scotch-guard" type treatment, resistant to liquid chemical agents. Because of the increased amount of charcoal, the BDO and DBDO can now be worn in an uncontaminated environment for 30 days following removal of the garment from its vapor-protective bag; this wear time may be extended past 30 days at the discretion of the team commander. The suit may be worn for 24 hours in a contaminated area, but once the suit has been contaminated, the wearer must replace the suit.
The BDO is presently produced in both woodland and desert camouflage patterns. The suits have large butyl rubber patches sewn into the elbows and knees to prevent liquid chemical agents from penetrating the suit at these points.

Convulsive Antidote, Nerve Agent (CANA) Autoinjector Weight: 0.1kg
A specialized diazepam preparation known as Convulsive Antidote, Nerve Agent (CANA), which contains diazepam. One CANA kit is typically issued to Project members, when operating in circumstances where chemical weapons in the form of nerve agents are considered a potential hazard.

Chemical Protective Gloves and Overboots Weight: 2kg
The chemical protective gloves are made from butyl rubber and are impermeable to chemical agents. The GVO is made from vinyl which will protect the wearer against NBC agents and environmental effects. Both may also be decontaminated and reissued. Both the 0.025in thick and 0.014in thick gloves and GVO boots, when worn with the leather combat boot, can be used for 24 hours in a contaminated environment. After a complete visual inspection and decontamination with a 5% HTH solution they may be worn again. The 0.007in thick tactile gloves must be inspected and deconned with the 5% HTH solution within 6 hours after being in a contaminated environment. Once deconned the 0.007in thick tactile gloves may be re-used. In an uncontaminated environment, the gloves and boots can be used for 14 days and if found to be serviceable after a thorough inspection can be used for 14 days more. When working with petroleum products care must be taken not to allow these products to contact the boots and gloves. Should petroleum products contaminate the boots and gloves, wipe-off and air dry the boots or gloves within two minutes. If this cannot happen within two minutes then new boots or gloves must be obtained immediately.

The green vinyl overboots are authorized for wear in a contaminated environment, but when the green vinyl is contaminated by a liquid agent, the agent will desorb as a vapor over a prolonged period of time. Decontamination of the rain boots while on chemically contaminated terrain would involve almost constant interruption of the mission and would in most cases be impractical. Therefore, the desorption of agent vapors from the GVO must be considered when conducting unmasking procedures or entrance procedures into a collective protection shelter.

The gloves and the boots pose safety hazards. The 0.025in thick and 0.014in thick gloves degrade tactile ability and in a cold environment will not provide adequate protection against cold injury. The 0.007in thick gloves have been produced to answer the need for selected personnel to have excellent tactile ability while wearing these gloves but offer no protection from cold. These thin gloves must be issued along with the 0.025in thick gloves and only worn while performing those tasks requiring good tactile use of the hands and fingers.

Geiger Counter Weight: 0.5kg
A hand-held radiation counter which provides fine measurements of radiation. Powered by internal batteries.

Kit, Nuclear, Biological, Chemical, M-1 Weight: 0.79kg
A combination detector set and treatment kit for chemical and biological agents as well as radiation. The kit will sound an alarm (audio or vibrate) and identify any dangerous chemicals in the area. If pressed against the body it will automatically inject the proper antidote (the kit contains six doses). It will sound an alarm 75% of the time if a dangerous biological agent is in the area. The kite will also detect and measure radiation, as well as keep a record of the amount of radiation the person wearing it has been exposed to. The kit will sound an alarm if the radiation count goes up above the background level.

M-8 Chemical Agent Detector Paper Weight: 0.01kg
The M8 detector paper is the only way of identifying the type of chemical agent present in liquid form on the battlefield. Each Project member carries one booklet of M8 paper in the interior pocket of the protective mask carrier. A Project member encountering an unknown liquid suspected of being a chemical agent must don and check his mask and don the attached hood within 15 seconds, alert others in the vicinity, and then proceed to put on all of his chemical protective clothing. He then removes the booklet of M8 paper from his mask carrier, tears a half sheet from the booklet, and, if possible, affixes the sheet to a stick. Using the stick as a handle, the Project member then blots the paper onto the unknown liquid and waits for 30 seconds for a color change. The resulting color may then be compared to the colors on the inside of the front cover of the booklet to identify the type of liquid agent encountered.
G: Nonpersistent Nerve: Yellow
H: Blister: Red
V: Persistent Nerve: Olive Green or Black
False positive can occur if liquid insecticides are on the surface being tested. Antifreeze and petroleum products will also cause false positive.

M-9 Chemical Agent Detector Paper Weight: 0.04kg
The M9 detector paper detects the presence of liquid chemical agent but does not identify either the specific agent or the type of agent encountered. Each Project member carries one thirty-feet-long and two-inch-wide roll of M9 paper with adhesive backing to facilitate wrapping a strip of the paper around a sleeve and a trouser leg of the BDO. (Because the indicator dye in the paper is a potential carcinogen, gloves should be worn during application, and the paper should not contact the skin.) The paper is a dull off-white or cream color in the absence of liquid agent but contains an indicator chemical that when dissolved in liquid agent turns a reddish color. When the Project member sees this color change, he must immediately mask, alert others, and, if there is any possibility of skin exposure, proceed immediately with skin decontamination.

The M9 paper will detect nerve-agent or blister-agent droplets as small as 100 microns in diameter. False positive may be seen if the paper is exposed to antifreeze, liquid insecticide, or petroleum products. The Project member's attention to possible interfering substances on the battlefield can help in the later interpretation of a color change in the M9 paper in the absence of confirmatory tests for agents but does not relieve him of the obligation to mask and take other appropriate measures immediately after seeing a color change in the detector paper.

M-17A1 Chemical Protective Mask Weight: 1.3kg
This is a standard protective mask that will provide protection from any chemical and most biological agents that have to be inhaled in order to be effective. The filters will last up to a year under normal conditions before replacement is necessary. In the event of a chemical attack with blood agents, the filters must be replaced as soon as possible. The mask has a built-in microphone and an attachment that will the wearer to drink from canteen will still wearing the mask. The mask comes with a canvas holder that is normally strapped to one leg and contains one set of spare filters, a lens-cleaning kit, a personal decontamination and a weapons decontamination kit.

M-50 Chemical Protective Mask Weight: 1.2kg
This is the newest standard protective mask and provides protection against chemical and biological agents, toxic industrial chemicals, and nuclear fallout. The dual, low profile filters reduce weight and bulk while reducing breathing resistance by sixty percent over the M-17A1 mask. The filters incorporate a shelf-life indicator patch which changes colors from white to blue when the filters are no longer serviceable. The mask face blank incorporates self-sealing filter mounts that allow for filter changes in a contaminated environment. The single element eye lens gives the mask a 96-degree field of view and improved compatibility with military equipment and battlefield optical systems. The drinking system of the mask allows for greater liquid flow however, is not compatible with previous drinking systems.
Consequently, the mask is normally issued with an M50 series compatible canteen cap. The mask is packed in a carrier that also contains other items such as three Antidote Treatment Nerve Agent (ATNAA), a convulsive antidote for nerve agents (CANA) and an M-258A1 decontamination kit. It also contains a M1 waterproof bag to protect filter elements from water damage. Other components attached are mask hoods to protect the head and neck area, a winterization kit to prevent frost accumulation during cold weather conditions and optical inserts for soldiers with vision defects.

M-51 Chemical Protective Mask Weight: 1.3kg
A variant of the M-50 mask, the M-51 shares the same main features of the M-50 mask with the addition of an internal microphone and jack that allows it to be connected into a vehicle communications system as well as alterations that make it better suited for use by armored vehicle crews, who have to connect their masks to and draw air from their vehicle's own filtration system.

M-256A1 Chemical Agent Detector Kit Weight: Negligible
The M256A1 Chemical Agent Detection Kit is designed to detect and identify chemical agents present either as liquid or as vapor and consists of a) a booklet of M8 paper (previously described) to detect agents in liquid form and b) twelve foil-wrapped detector tickets containing eel enzymes as reagents to detect even very low concentrations of chemical vapors. Instructions for the use of the detector tickets appear on the outside of each of the foil packets and in a separate instruction booklet in the kit. The following chart shows the agents detected by the M256A1 Kit:
Agent Detected Symbol Class
Hydrogen Cyanide AC "Blood" (cyanide)
Cyanogen Chloride CK "Blood" (cyanide)
Mustard H Blister
Nitrogen Mustard HN Blister
Distilled Mustard HD Blister
Phosgene Oxime CX Blister
Lewisite L Blister
Nerve Agents V and G Series Nerve
By following the directions on the foil packets or in the instruction booklet, a Project member can conduct a complete test with the liquid-sensitive M8 paper and the vapor-sensitive detector ticket in approximately 20 minutes. During the test, the ticket must be kept out of direct sunlight, which speeds evaporation of the reagents; evaporation is also accelerated by waving the detector ticket in the air, so the ticket should be held stationary during all parts of the test.

M-258A1 Decontamination Kit, Skin Weight: 0.2kg
The M258A1 skin decontamination kit is currently the standard item for the removal and neutralization of liquid chemical agents on the skin. This kit contains three No. 1 packets and three No. 2 packets. Packet No. 1 adsorbs and neutralizes the G-type nerve agents, whereas Packet No. 2 adsorbs and neutralizes the nerve agent VX and liquid mustard. The contents of the packets are as follows:
Packet No.1: Hydroxyethane 72%; Phenol 10%; Sodium Hydroxide 5%; Ammonia 0.05%;
Water 12.95%
Packet No.2: Chloramine B Hydroxyethane 45%, Zinc Chloride 5%; Water 50%
The Project member must remember that when using packet Number 1, one full minute of wiping the contaminated area is needed. The Project member must also remember that wiping with packet Number 2 must continue for two minutes. Speed and accuracy are critical in the proper use of this kit, and the Project member must have committed the decontamination procedure to memory. The decontamination solution is a skin-burn hazard in sensitive areas of the body and must be kept out of the eyes, the mouth, and any open wounds. The kit must also be protected from freezing and from prolonged exposure to temperatures greater than 110 F, and the glass ampoules in Packet No. 2 must be protected from premature breakage, which could render the kit useless.

M-291 Decontamination Kit, Skin Weight: 0.2kg; 5kg per box of 20
The introduction of this kit marks a new approach to skin decontamination. The M291 kit consists of six identical packets each containing a mixture of activated resins. This resin mixture both adsorbs liquid chemical agents present on the soldier's skin and neutralizes agents. The mixture consists of a adsorbent resin, a resin containing sulfonic acid, and a hydroxylamine-containing resin. After masking, the soldier opens any packet from the kit, removes the applicator pad, and applies an even coating of resin powder while scrubbing the entire skin area suspected to be contaminated. One applicator pad will decontaminate both hands and the face if necessary. If the face must be decontaminated, then the neck (including the throat area) and the ears must also be decontaminated using a second applicator pad.
The black resin powder residue will provide a visual confirmation of the thoroughness of application and will not cause any skin irritation even after prolonged contact with skin. However, normal precautions must be observed so that the powder does not enter open wounds, the mouth, or the eyes.
M-295 Decontamination Kit, Individual Equipment (DKIE) Weight: 0.4kg; 33kg per box of 80

The M295 DKIE allows for the decontamination of individual equipment through physical removal and absorption of chemical agent with no long term harmful side effects. The kit consists of a carrying pouch containing four individual decon packets, enough to do two complete individual equipment decontaminations. Each packet contains a mitt filled with the same decon powder used in the M291 SDK. Two packets will decon the protective gloves, M16A2 rifle, the chemical protective helmet cover, the protective mask hood, load carrying equipment (LCE) and accessories, the mask carrying case and the protective boots.

The decon mitt will only remove surface liquid contamination. The equipment which has been decontaminated can still pose a vapor hazard, due to absorbed liquid chemical agent desorbing as a vapor.