NSERC funds eWAR project.
ALERT B&C Corporation is pleased to announce that based on its technology, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) has awarded a significant grant to a consortium comprised of the University of Saskatchewan, McGill University, Concordia University, the Biotechnology Research Institute (NRC), the Montreal Department of Public Health, UV-Sterisource, and ALERT B&C Corporation.The basis of the grant is to support the prestigious Immune Buildings--Development of eWAR Systems strategic project. Early Warning and Response (eWAR) Systems are to be implemented in public buildings. The objective is to utilize the eWAR systems to monitor buildings in order to detect, identify, and initiate a first response to chemical and biological agent threats. The intended control strategy is based on mitigating actions combined with independent eWAR systems for buildings at risk.
During the project, a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system will be constructed and used for actual simulations of building contamination. Since the main source of propagation of chemical and biological agents is through air, eWAR systems are intended to trigger alarms when an unusual event occurs, thereby initiating a series of remediation procedures.
ALERT B&C's Traker[TM] instruments will be used by the system for rapid detection and identification of harmful agents. The project will provide a real field situation for testing Traker and providing important information that will allow the corporation to further improve its detection technology.
ALERT B&C is involved in the rapid detection and identification of chemicals and biological substances that can be harmful to civilian populations. These substances can be released in public areas with wrongful intent (terrorism) or accidentally (industrial spills, outbreaks). ALERT B&C is developing a series of instruments such as the Traker that can rapidly detect and identify chemical and biological compounds in field conditions. These instruments are based on mass spectrometry and utilize a unique patented ionization technology, Metastable Atom Bombardment (MAB). More recently, ALERT B&C has expanded the scope of applications of its instruments to cover a wider base of situations that may affect civilian populations, such as the accidental contamination of water plants and hospitals.
"Civilian protection is a broad field that requires the input of several disciplines and technologies. ALERT B&C is constantly seeking collaborations as part of its on-going R&D efforts with other groups of researchers interested in developing tools for first responders involved in dangerous situations. This eWAR project is an excellent example of such collaboration," stated Suzanne L. Lebel, president and CEO.
ALERT B&C Corporation
 Printer friendly
 Cite/link
 Email
 Feedback
| |
| Title Annotation: | NEWS/NOUVELLES; Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada |
|---|---|
| Publication: | Canadian Chemical News |
| Geographic Code: | 1USA |
| Date: | May 1, 2008 |
| Words: | 421 |
| Previous Article: | Guide to better biomass for BC. |
| Next Article: | EACL a la conquete du marche canadien. |
| Topics: | |