NCSU Celebrates Opening Of Protective Garment Test Lab

The North Carolina State University (NCSU) College of Textiles, Raleigh, N.C., celebrated the opening this week of its new Man-In-Simulant Test (MIST) facility with a special program and tours that included live demonstrations of protective garment testing. The state-of-the-art laboratory, located on NCSU's Centennial Campus at the College of Textiles' Textile Protection and Comfort Center (T-PACC), was funded by a $2 million US Department of Defense (DOD) grant secured by US Rep. Bob Etheridge, D-N.C., a member of the US Homeland Security Committee.

The MIST facility enables testing of complete protective ensemble suits in nontoxic chemical vapors that are similar to toxic chemical and biological agents, and will provide researchers with test results and analysis more quickly than other such facilities, according to NCSU. Testing will be conducted on mannequins and on human subjects, who will perform first-responder-type tasks in a controlled environment. Analysis of adhesive pads worn underneath the garments being tested will reveal vapor penetration levels through the fabric and at the garments' seams and closures.

Etheridge joined US DOD representative Tim Roberts, NCSU Chancellor James Oblinger, College of Textiles Dean Blanton Godfrey and T-PACC Director Dr. Roger Barker in announcing the MIST facility, the only lab of its kind in the United States located on a university campus. The facility will operate under Barker's supervision and joins T-PACC's facilities for manikin-testing of thermal protective and comfort properties of apparel. It answers a need to have a readily accessible lab to test prototype firefighter turnout gear developed by Barker, who had received a grant in 2003 from the Department of Homeland Security to develop such a suit with improved protection from heat and toxins as well as enhanced comfort and durability.

"The new MIST lab will be integrated into our existing garment testing facilities and increases our ability to provide accurate studies of protective gear in a more timely manner," Barker said. "This facility complements all of the research we engage in and will accelerate the development process for new types of protective gear."