Development of A Chemical Warfare Protective Dive Suit (Cwpds) for United States Navy Diving in Contaminated Water.
SourceThe Chemical Warfare Protective Dive Suit (CWPDS) is a diver-worn, dry suit ensemble being developed to protect U.S. Navy divers while performing missions in contaminated water. The primary component of the CWPDS is the leakproof dry suit, with detachable gloves and a neck entry fitted for a MK 12 breastplate. In selecting the material to be used in the fabrication of the CWPDS dry suit, thirty-six chemicals and five Chemical Warfare (CW) agents were tested against candidate materials. Design of the CWPDS was constrained by the choice of the material and by the missions to be performed by the divers. The purpose of this paper is to present the design criteria for the CWPDS and the challenges encountered while designing a suit to be used for diving in chemically contaminated water.