A flexible high-tech wipe that has defense, homeland security and industrial applications has been developed to protect soldiers, emergency personnel and civilians.

FiberTect® technology, developed by First Line Technology, which is badly needed for the United States’ Defense and Homeland Security community to reduce the chemical toxic threats.

FiberTect® is a three layer, inert, flexible,nonwoven composite substrate to absorb and adsorb chemical warfare agents (CWAs), toxic industrial chemicals (TICs), toxic industrial materials (TIMs), and pesticides. It keeps life-cycle costs low and is self-contained and packaged for easy use, storage, and transport. It is used by military, first receivers, hospitals, hazmat, fire fighters.

An effective and universal dry decontaminant, capable of decontaminating personnel and sensitive equipment, needs to be non-corrosive and devoid of particles such as with the case of M-291 kit. Additionally, liquid based chemical decontamination technologies may be corrosive to sensitive equipment and even human skin.

There is an immediate need to develop a “system approach,” which will tackle the shortfall with standalone technologies. This concept has been advocated by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL Science & Technology Review, March 2009). A wiping technology offers several advantages such as avoiding the excessive use of chemical decontaminants and offering cost savings.

Amit Kapoor, President of First Line Technology stated, “Non-aqueous wipe technology helps with bulk decontamination of toxic chemicals. Testing has shown that bulk decontamination is an important step in the removal of contamination before applying neutralizing decontaminants. Dry wipe also helps to reduce the overall decontamination footprint for first responders.”