Sandia Labs Develops Foam To Kill Anthrax
A powerful foam used to kill deadly organisms during a terrorist attack like anthrax was developed at Sandia National Laboratories.
The foam is made of three components, and the chemicals that make it up can be found in things like toothpaste and hair conditioner.
Once concentrated and put into a distribution device, the foam serves as a powerful tool to fight terror.
We were able to come up with a very effective decontaminate for anthrax, Sandia National Laboratories Chemical Engineer Mark Tucker said.
Tucker was one of the brains behind the foam used to kill anthrax in Senate office buildings and buildings in New York City. Days after the country was attacked on Sept. 11, 2001, the government turned to Tucker and his team for the foam.
When incidents actually occurred, we were ready with the technology that could be used, Tucker said.
Because most of the components in the material are found in household products, its safe to touch.
After sending several shipments of foam across the country to kill Anthrax in 2001, Tucker said a bigger problem was exposed. They needed to quickly locate, collect samples and kill anthrax in a widespread area.
At the time it wasnt possible, but now Tucker said his team is addressing that issue.
A sampling team takes two devices in with them, Tucker said.
Tuckers foam has also been used in mold killing solutions.