Chemical and Biological Mass Spectrometer (CBMS-Block II)

The Chemical Biological Mass Spectrometer (CBMS) is an ion trap mass spectrometer that is capable of biological agent detection when connected to an aerosol collector/concentrator and of chemical detection when connected to a chemical probe. Agents are detected through an algorithm which contains the profiles of threat agents. The system’s ability to operate in both the MS and MS/MS modes allows it to screen out battlefield interferents. The system is controlled by a touch screen computer

Battlefields do not mimic pristine lab conditions, a point amply demonstrated during the Gulf War when, some experts believe, instruments designed to detect biological weapons proved unreliable. Engine exhaust, exhaust from weapons, spilled fuel, lubricants, and smoke all acted as background distractions, making it difficult for the instruments to distinguish a potentially deadly biological agent from non-lethal bacteria and chemicals.

Now, ORNL has remedied the problem with the CBMS. The unit, now in prototype and set to enter production in 2001, was engineered at the behest of the U.S. Army’s Soldier and Biological Chemical Command, and designed (both inside and out) for real world battlefield conditions. About the size of a desktop computer, the rugged system will be capable of detecting a very wide range of lethal chemical and biological weapons, including bacteria, toxins and viruses, as well as such hazardous chemical agents as nerve gas and blister agents.

The unit works by collecting an air sample, classifying it according to size, then heating it to break down its molecules. The sample is then moved into an ion trap mass spectrometer, where its mass-to-charge ratio and its chemical signature are compared against an extensive onboard library of known toxic agents, such as anthrax and VX gas.

The folks at Oak Ridge and the Department of Defense see applications for the new device in the private sector as well. With just a few minor modifications, it could be used to test processed food and in industrial safety and health care applications.