Smart Respirators - Embedded detectors for real-time monitoring of end-of-service-life in respirator filter cartridges

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Project Summary: Respirator masks are worn by workers in many industries, such as oil and gas, metal working, hazardous materials, environmental clean-up, and chemical research and manufacturing. The most common type of respirator mask is one where the user replaces the filter cannister or cartridge periodically. These cartridges cost approximately $5 to $20 depending on level of protection and manufacturer. The service life of a replaceable filter cartridge is not specific to the application and can vary greatly depending on the wearer's lung capacity, strenuousness of the work, type and concentration of chemical exposure, and environmental factors. Service life may range from minutes to days. Currently there are no “smart” filter cartridges capable of reliably alerting the wearer to imminent chemical breakthrough and subsequent loss of protection against chemical injury. This 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 vapors. Seacoast Science, Inc. proposes developing embeddable detectors. Operating specification for the embeddable detectors will be provided by specifications provided by Honeywell, Inc., a major respirator manufacturer. The proposed detectors will monitor the remaining service life of replaceable chemical-vapor filter-cartridges used for a wide range of high-risk occupations, including workers in the oil and gas, painting, metal working, and hazardous materials industries. Honeywell is developing a wireless interface which will interrogate embedded sensors for an indication of remaining service life. This is the first-step toward smart-clothing and other protective equipment for workers in other chemical industries. Ultimately, the detectors can be wirelessly linked to an exposure/location mapping system, to help identify chemical leaks, so the workplace can be made safer. For high polarity chemicals such as aldehydes and ethers, Seacoast's chemicapacitor is an ideal detector. For lower-polarity chemicals such as most petrochemicals and chlorocarbons, Seacoast proposes an impedance- based detector. To prove feasibility in Phase I, Seacoast will develop a set of detectors for three common chemicals (toluene, trichloroethylene, and acetone) designed to meet specifications for size, power, transduction mechanism, responsivity, and minimum sensitivity. Seacoast's Phase I objectives are to (1) develop and optimize the detectors; (2) demonstrate that when these devices are embedded into a filter bed, at various locations, they can be used to develop a spatial-temporal model of chemical breakthrough; (3) to deliver working prototypes to Honeywell for testing in their labs, and (4) develop designs for Phase II optimization, extensive testing, and pre-production.