The Unwired Medic

Teaching EMS providers & other public safety pros about using mobile tech to improve their practice, patient care, continuing education, scene safety, general entertainment, & productivity.

Hazmat detection on your cellphone coming soon!

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Sometimes an article comes along that you feel warrants stopping everything to make sure you share it with those who matter to you. Well, you are the ones who matter to me. I’ve got some new app reviews coming up to finish, and my regular 8-5 has me plenty busy too, but all that, I feel, pales in comparison to the importance of this news…

Visit the GSN Magazine article called “Disaster Preparedness 2011: Smart phones enhanced with nanotube hazmat detectors bring a new dimension to preparedness” posted here: http://www.gsnmagazine.com/article/24920/disaster_preparedness_2011_smart_phones_enhanced_n

I have many times wondered whether the ambulance I’m sitting in for a 12, 16, or 24 hour shift is polluting my lungs with CO gas and other noxious fumes. Devices like this could make it practical to find out if you are in danger of exposure to toxic gases or to other hazards, like chemical weapons. Honestly, I can’t wait to see this type of device in my hands for a test. I’m hoping the bug that flew by Qualcomm’s ear whispered something that motivates them to send me some devices to test and review so I can share the findings with you. If this stuff truly fits into a cell phone, then point of contact testing will become so much less expensive that ANY responder could afford to have on-site testing and measurements. What a boon for responder safety!

As for the EMT and Paramedic, what about point-of-care testing for CO2 and CO levels by wafting your cellphone in front of your patient’s face? How about being able to test if your patient is intoxicated or in DKA? LEO’s: want to have a device that can give you a preliminary reading on alcohol intoxication? What about on-scene rehab and safety officers? Are you in the cold, warm, or hot zone? Did you walk into a sick person call to find you are now in danger of falling victim to carbon monoxide or radon? Responding near a pool or cleaning supplies (cyanide)? Agricultural responses have you worried about organophosphates or other chemical agents? Mining incidents where you might be around refining chemicals? Imagine a criminal or terrorist setting up a hazard, then tripping the alert themselves by carrying one of these types of phones and getting nabbed before they can implement their dastardly plan. Sounds like America’s Dumbest Criminals material to me – LOL!

The article I found presents the option of the everyday citizen becoming an anonymous reporter of hazards, but even if this doesn’t become a widely-adopted standard on civilian devices, the possibilities for public safety and healthcare are endless!

I am so truly looking forward to where this can take us for preparedness, safety, and response.

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