Detection, Identification and Monitoring of Chemical Warfare Agents: a Comparison Between on-Field and in-Lab Approach

Detection, identification and monitoring is an essential step in responding to any event involving toxic chemical warfare agents. There is however a series of main differences between on-field and in-lab detection of highly hazardous chemicals. For a haz-mat first responder at an incident site or for an analytical chemist working in a conventional laboratory, time scale and the accuracy level of the analytical response is totally different. Then, civilian responders’ absolute priority is to save lives, with a strict zero-risk approach. Conversely, armed forces’ approach is mission-oriented and risks, even under life-threatening conditions, might be considered acceptable, under extreme conditions.