Fibertect, a decontamination technology developed by researchers at Texas Tech University, was one of seven new innovations featured in National Guard magazine that already is proving its worth to improve National Guard response time to domestic incidents.

The July cover article, “New Gear,” described how the Georgia Guard tested Fibertect and found that it cut down on time used to set up decontamination shower tents and scrub affected people with water and decontamination solutions. When fashioned into a mitt, Fibertect could be used to quickly wipe away contaminants.

“To be recognized as an innovative product for our national defense is a milestone in our chemical countermeasures research at Texas Tech,” said inventor Seshadri Ramkumar, an associate professor of environmental toxicology at The Institute of Environmental and Human Health (TIEHH). “The need for decontamination wipes, such as the kind we’ve created here at TIEHH, were a top priority for the Department of Defense. Years ago, we began the research, developed a product and met a top national security issue. The uses for Fibertect continue to expand.”

Using the Fibertect decontamination mitts, Georgia’s CERFP members reported the dry decontamination removed 80 to 90 percent of contaminants they were likely to encounter in the field, the article stated. CERFP stands for Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and High Yield Explosive Enhanced Response Force Packages.

After testing, one sergeant with the Georgia Guard urged the National Guard Bureau to add Fibertect to the CERFP’s equipment inventory.

Currently, the Fibertect wipe is under production by Hobbs Bonded Fibers of Waco and distributed by First Line Technology in Chantilly, Va. The wipe tested features an activated carbon core sandwiched between absorbent layers.

“This recognition provides validation that Fibertect is a decontamination platform that has the potential to replace current technologies, which are expensive to maintain and deploy,” said Amit Kapoor, president of First Line Technology. “Fibertect, however, is an affordable solution proven effective in response to decontamination disasters and this recognition from National Guard Magazine shows that Fibertect has the potential to help countless organizations protect their communities.”

To read the article, go to this website.