Improvement of technology for protection of respiratory organs of military personnel and civilians from radioactive iodine formed in accidents at nuclear power plants

Highlights

- An impregnation for filtering materials has been developed, increasing the protective action time (PAT) of a respirator against radioactive iodine by a factor of 15.9.

- The technology is based on readily available components (sodium thiosulfate, glycerin, chlorhexidine), which makes it significantly cheaper than existing analogues.

Relevance. During accidents at nuclear power plants (Chernobyl, Fukushima), the release of radioactive iodine-131 ([131] I) poses a critical health threat due to its rapid entry through the respiratory tract. Existing respiratory protective devices (RPD) have insufficient effectiveness against organic iodine compounds and are expensive, which limits their widespread use.

Purpose of the study is to develop and experimentally justify a set of measures for improving the effectiveness of respiratory protection against radioactive iodine and its volatile organic compounds (CH3I, C2H5I) generated during accidents at nuclear power plants.

Materials and Methods. Sorption elements made of polyurethane foam grades ST-1832 and ST-2238 were studied. Impregnations were prepared based on aqueous solutions of sodium thiosulfate (0–50%), glycerin and 0.05% chlorhexidine solution. The composition was applied using a trigger sprayer (consumption 0.15 mL/cm[2] ). Tests were carried out using a specially designed setup at a temperature of 20±1 °C, iodine vapour concentration of 4.16 g/m[3] , and air flow rate of 15±0.3 L/min. The protective action time was recorded when a blue colour appeared in the starch indicator. Each experiment was repeated at least six times. Statistical processing (outlier detection using the SmirnovGrubbs test, linear regression) was performed in MS Excel.

Results. The following were developed:

- a multicomponent impregnation (50% sodium thiosulfate, glycerin, 0.05% chlorhexidine solution in equal volumes), increasing the PAT of ST-1832 polyurethane foam from 7.6±0.4 to 77.8±3.9 min (by a factor of 10.2);

- an experimental setup for determining the PAT of filtering materials;

- a replaceable filter element made of polyurethane foam with a modular design;

- a technology for uniform impregnation application and modification of commercially available respirators (using the 3M respirator as an example).

For the ST-2238 sample impregnated with a 50% sodium thiosulfate solution and placed in a 3M respirator, the PAT reached 120.7±6.0 min, and the I2 capacity was 7531.7±376.6 mg, which is 15.9 times higher than that of the standard R-2 respirator. A linear dependence of PAT on sodium thiosulfate concentration was established (R2 = 0.98). Four patent applications and four utility model applications have been filed.

Conclusion. The developed technical solutions provide a 15.9 fold increase in protective action time, use readily available components, do not require sophisticated equipment, and are suitable for mass application when building strategic reserves and equipping personnel involved in the aftermath of radiation accidents.

Practical significance of the work . The obtained results allow a substantial improvement in the effectiveness and affordability of respiratory protective devices against radioactive iodine for equipping personnel involved in the aftermath of radiation accidents.

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