New skin is in for contaminant tests

摘要

Ministry of Defence scientists have developed a synthetic 'skin' to make testing decontamination of chemical weapons more realistic. Made from an undisclosed material, the skin allows researchers to test decontaminants on large samples attached to a mannequin head instead of small flat samples, taking into account facial contours and interaction with equipment such as respirators. The material, developed by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL), mirrors the way real human skin spreads and absorbs liquid chemical warfare agents (CWAs) and allows any remaining contaminant to be extract for study after the test.