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BOB HIRSHON (host):
Emergency protection from airborne threats. I’m Bob Hirshon and this is Science Update.
People like firefighters and secret service agents need to be prepared for anything, including a biological or chemical attack. But they can’t lug around heavy gas masks all the time. So a team led by Jalal Mapar of the Department of Homeland Security has invented a tough but lightweight protective hood that fits in a package the size of a DVD case. The hood can be pulled quickly and easily over the head; and a rubber neckband seals out toxic agents.
JALAL MAPAR (Department of Homeland Security):
And the filters that are on the outside filter the air very, very well, so you don’t even notice anything, and breathing is very easy.
HIRSHON:
Mapar says the hoods are portable enough to carry two at a time, which means the users could protect someone else as well, be it a president or civilian bystander. I’m Bob Hirshon for AAAS, the Science Society.