The ChemPRO 100 is a gas & vapor detection product & turn-key CBRN detection for civilian & military defense made by Environics. This portable detector protects individuals, buildings, metros, cities and nations from CBRN threats. The ChemPro100 is a handheld Chemical Warfare Agent (CWA) and Toxic Industrial Chemical (TIC) gas and vapor detector that provides:
o Industry leading CWA detection capabilities with an unrivaled list of TICs
o Small, non-threatening design, it doesn’t look like a weapon so it won’t scare civilians
o Up to 27 times less expensive to own and use compared to other CWA detectors
o Lowest logistical requirements of any CWA/TIC detector, it won’t run out of consumables when deployed
o The ChemPro100 stores well. It doesn’t require periodic “exercising” to work properly and it doesn’t go “bad” sitting on a shelf. If it worked when you stored it away it will work when you need it.
o User friendly, if you can use a cell phone you can use the ChemPro100.
o The ChemPro100 CBRN kit provides complete protection from Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear threats in one easy to use and transport portable kit.
o The TIC detection capabilities is soon to include Clan Lab Chemicals and Fire Overhaul Gases/Vapors (post fire clean-up).
These materials highly differentiate the ChemPro100 from its competitors. Here is how the ChemPRO 100 compares to the Smiths APD2000:
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The Advanced Portable Detector 2000 or APD2000 was developed by ETG to be both a CWA and TIC detector (the name was made ambiguous so that it wouldn’t be solely associated with CWA detection).
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However, the promise of TIC detection was largely lost after Smiths acquired ETG (as were virtually all of the people behind it). While the APD2000 is widely loathed by the first responder community, it is innovative in that it was the first product to simultaneously do both negative and positive ions (no more duct taping two CAMs together).
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The APD2000 was notoriously hard to produce. First pass yields were alleged to be only 25%. Being hard to produce means that it is also hard to fix, customer repair times often stretch out for months. Therefore, most customers have to own two APD2000s to make sure that they have one that works.
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All repairs have to be made in their US facility, so overseas owners either go without repair or have to wait for extended periods to get their detectors repaired.
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APD2000 | ChemPro100 | |
Cost per hour of usage | $2.5-$5/hour to use | $0.42/hour to use |
Form factor | Clunky and looks like a weapon | Doesn’t look like a weapon and won’t scare civilians |
Storage | Stores poorly, must be exercised at least once a month | Stores well, no exercise required |
Service | Must return to Smiths for all maintenance 1x a year | Maintenance only required every 3000 hours of use. Currently centralized to Abingdon, MD, but could move out into the field soon with change of NRC approval. |
User interface | Character based user interface and many buttons are complicated to use | Graphic User Interface very intuitive to use. If you can use a cell phone you can use the CP100 |
Ionization Source | Ni63 (370Mbq) requires NRC license and yearly wipe tests | AM241 source in NRC exempt and does not require any yearly wipe tests |
Battery Run Time | 7 hours (with a tail wind) | 10 hours |
Chemicals Measured | CWAs, very few TICs and irritants | CWAs, more TICs and irritants |
