Apparatus for deactivating a pathogenic chemical agent
AssigneesSTERIS Inc., The United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of the Army, APG
InventorsIain F. McVey, Lewis I. Schwartz, Michael A. Centanni, George W. Wagner
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Hydrogen peroxide is vaporized (20) and mixed (30) with ammonia gas in a ratio between 1:1 and 1:0.0001. The peroxide and ammonia vapor mixture are conveyed to a treatment area (10) to neutralize V-type, H-type, or G-type chemical agents, pathogens, biotoxins, spores, prions, and the lip-,e. The ammonia provides the primary deactivating agent for G-type agents with the peroxide acting as an accelerator. The peroxide acts as the primary agent for deactivating V-type and H-type agents, pathogens, biotoxins, spores, and prions. The ammonia acts as an accelerator in at least some of these peroxide deactivation reactions.
Claims17
An apparatus for deactivating a pathogenic chemical agent, comprising:
- means for subjecting the pathogenic chemical agent to a mixture of a peroxide in the form of a vapor and a nitrogen containing compound in the form of a gas, a ratio of the peroxide to the nitrogen containing compound being between 1:1 and 1:0.0001, the nitrogen containing compound being of the general formula:
- where R1, R2, and R3 independently are selected from H and an alkyl group, and
- wherein the subjecting means includes:
- a vaporizer for vaporizing a peroxide liquid,
- a liquid hydrogen peroxide source for supplying liquid hydrogen peroxide to the vaporizer,
- a supply of the nitrogen-containing compound, the supply of nitrogen containing compound including a compressed ammonia gas tank, and
- a mixing region for mixing the nitrogen containing compound and hydrogen peroxide vapor, the mixing region being at an entrance of an enclosure in which the pathogenic chemical agent is disposed.
An apparatus for deactivating a pathogenic chemical agent, comprising:
- means for subjecting the pathogenic chemical agent to a mixture of a peroxide in the form of a vapor and a nitrogen containing compound in the form of a gas, a ratio of the peroxide to the nitrogen containing compound being between 1:1 and 1:0.0001, the nitrogen containing compound being of the general formula:
- where R1, R2, and R3 independently are selected from H and an alkyl group,
- the subjecting means including:
- a vaporizer for vaporizing a peroxide liquid in a carrier gas;
- a reservoir of an alkaline liquid;
- an atomizer or vaporizer for atomizing or vaporizing the alkaline liquid to fond a supply of the nitrogen-containing compound, and
- a mixing region for mixing the atomized or vaporized nitrogen-containing compound with the vaporized peroxide liquid and carrier gas.
An apparatus for decontamination of an item contaminated with GD, the apparatus comprising:
- an enclosure which receives the item contaminated with GD;
- and
- a compressed ammonia gas tank for supplying ammonia gas;
- and
- means for contacting the item with a gaseous mixture containing a peroxide, the ammonia gas, and a carrier gas for sufficient time to reduce the concentration of GD to less than about 1% of its initial concentration, the time for the concentration to reach 1% of its initial concentration being less than 6 hrs, the peroxide concentration being at least 200 ppm in the gaseous mixture and the ammonia concentration being less than about 100 ppm in the gaseous mixture, said contacting means controlling a rate of supplying the ammonia gas to form the gaseous mixture in which a concentration of the ammonia is at least 1 ppm.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.