Chemical Agent Detector Paper is a type of paper used for detecting the presence of chemical agents, including

nerve agent Nerve agents, sometimes also called nerve gases, are a class of organic chemistry, organic chemicals that disrupt the mechanisms by which nerves transfer messages to organs. The disruption is caused by the blocking of acetylcholinesterase (ACh ...

mustard agents Mustard gas or sulfur mustard are names commonly used for the organosulfur chemical compound bis(2-chloroethyl) sulfide, which has the chemical structure S(CH2CH2Cl)2, as well as other species. In the wider sense, compounds with the substituent ...

, and

blister agent A blister agent (or vesicant) is a chemical compound that causes severe skin, eye and mucosal pain and irritation in the form of severe chemical burns resulting in fluid filled blisters. Named for their ability to cause vesication, blister a ...

s. The paper typically change color in the presence of a chemical agent. The

U.S. Military The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. U.S. federal law names six armed forces: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and the Coast Guard. Since 1949, all of the armed forces, except th ...

and

first responder A first responder is a person with specialized training who is among the first to arrive and provide assistance or incident resolution at the scene of an emergency. First responders typically include Law enforcement, law enforcement officers (co ...

s typically use the paper.

M8 Detector Paper

M8 Detector Paper is used to detect the presence of V and G type

s and H type

s. It works by detecting chemical agents from a liquid splash. Each sheet of paper has three separate detection dyes. The yellow color appears when exposed to G nerve agents, the dark green color appears when exposed to V nerve agents, and the red color appears when exposed to H blister agents. The M8 detector paper does not detect agents in the form of aerosols or vapors. The M8 was a Canadian invention, being first standardized in 1963. By 1964 it entered US service as part of the M15A2 Chemical Agent Detector Kit, with about 67,000 of these kits being produced from 1965-1969, with most other

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

nations also purchasing the M8.

M9 Detector Tape

M9 Detector Tape or paper is used to detect the presence of

nerve A nerve is an enclosed, cable-like bundle of nerve fibers (called axons). Nerves have historically been considered the basic units of the peripheral nervous system. A nerve provides a common pathway for the Electrochemistry, electrochemical nerv ...

(V- and G- types) and

mustard Mustard may refer to: Food and plants * Mustard (condiment), a paste or sauce made from mustard seeds used as a condiment * Mustard plant, one of several plants, having seeds that are used for the condiment ** Mustard seed, small, round seeds of ...

(H, HD, HN, and HT) agents. It cannot identify what particular agent it is being exposed to. The tape is typically a dull cream color when not exposed to chemical agents, but will turn red in the presence of chemical agents. The tape is made from

Mylar BoPET (biaxially oriented polyethylene terephthalate) is a polyester film made from stretched polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and is used for its high tensile strength, chemical stability, dimensional stability, transparency reflectivity, an ...

, which is the sticky backing, and a red agent detection dye. The detector tape does have false positives, which can be caused by antifreeze, petroleum-based products, and liquid insecticide. The M9 was adopted by the

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

in 1980, although prior testing showed the dye used in the tape was

mutagen In genetics, a mutagen is a physical or chemical agent that permanently changes genetic material, usually DNA, in an organism and thus increases the frequency of mutations above the natural background level. As many mutations can cause cancer in ...

ic and possibly

carcinogen A carcinogen () is any agent that promotes the development of cancer. Carcinogens can include synthetic chemicals, naturally occurring substances, physical agents such as ionizing and non-ionizing radiation, and biologic agents such as viruse ...

ic. Adoption nonetheless proceeded and the Army was able to find a replacement dye that was not mutagenic.

Chemical Detection Kit

The M256/M256A1 Chemical Detection Kits include not only M8 Detector Paper for detecting the presence of toxins, but also enzyme-based "tickets" for identifying which agent is present. The M18 kit includes M8 sheets, "tickets", and test tubes loaded with colorimetric reagents for measuring the concentration of toxins.

References

Safety equipment Chemical warfare United States Marine Corps equipment Military equipment introduced in the 1960s {{Material-stub