Exciting innovation creates neutralising remedy for toxic chemical threats
Toxic chemical agent incidents have been in the press a lot this year. As well as high profile cases such as a rise in acid attacks on individuals and the Salisbury nerve agent attack, there are many other incidents which don’t necessarily get reported by the media. Spillages occur on a regular basis in laboratories (including commercial ones and those in the healthcare and education sectors), in hospitals and in transit on UK roads.
Each spillage presents a risk for those in its vicinity. Historically, toxic chemical incidents have required significant time and effort to clean them up and make the location safe again. It’s no wonder then that there’s been calls for a faster response solution when tackling chemically-related threats.
Always keen to learn about the latest security and risk prevention measures, the Absolute Security team were excited to see a new innovation in this field. It will certainly greatly minimise the impact of chemical attacks and spills as it works quickly to rectify any contamination to those affected and the area of the incident.
FAST-ACT – for toxic chemical agent incident response
FAST-ACT was originally developed for the US military to counter chemical warfare agents in the Gulf War. It is now used globally by NATO forces, other military organisations, large industrial organisations (including pharmaceutical, oil and gas companies), as well as public sector institutions such as schools, universities and hospitals.
In essence it is a powder-based product which has impressive neutralisation capabilities when it comes to chemical attacks and spills. The product is non-toxic, non-flammable, simple and quick to use. It does not require a prior knowledge of the chemical being tackled – the majority of chemicals are quickly neutralised in FAST-ACT’s application.
Other benefits of the product include:
- It is safe to use on people
- It reduces chemical contact with the skin
- It is quick and easy to apply and doesn’t require any premixing
- It works immediately when applied
- It is effective over a wide range of environmental conditions
- It doesn’t require any specialist training
Handy and cost-effective kit
FAST-ACT, which is distributed by Specialist Response Solutions in the UK and Europe, has just launched a handy and cost-effective Chemical Threat Response Case. It is ideal for organisations to have on-site so they can quickly respond and counter any chemical threat incident.
We envisage it will become a valuable element of organisations’ health and safety approaches when protecting staff, the public and also those responding to an incident. The kit comes with a 5year shelf life and prices start from £1500 per unit. Specialist Response Solutions also have a range of other products for bespoke response requirements.
Summary
It’s really good to hear that solutions are being found to tackle the growing number of toxic chemical incidents taking place. We are particularly looking forward to the day when the UK’s emergency services are equipped with the likes of FAST-ACT, as this will greatly help reduce the suffering of chemical incident victims and also protect the responders who bravely rush to their aid.
If you would like to learn more about FAST-ACT’s benefits to your organisation’s health and safety approaches, and would like an introduction to Specialist Response Solutions, please contact the Absolute Security Team on e: sales@absolutesecurity.co.uk or t: 01483 791500.
