Smiths Detection-Toronto Ltd., from Mississauga, Canada, has applied for a patent for an apparatus and method of removing particulate materials and toxic gas vapors from people using an enclosure that forces gas around the subject. The device has implications for dealing with chemical warfare and chemical terrorism among other uses.
The application, filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, states that the patent applies to "a decontamination system for removing a substance from a subject, the decontamination system comprising: a structure for surrounding the subject; an inlet for allowing a gas to enter the structure; an outlet for allowing the gas to exit the structure; a pump for pumping the gas through the inlet, into the structure, around the subject, and out through the outlet, thereby removing at least one of substance particles and substance vapours from the subject; and an inlet analyzer for monitoring the inlet air for contamination."
The full application is available from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office by searching for patent application number 6,790,249.
