Examine individual changes

'{{Short description|Protective suit with powered air-purifying respirator}} [[File:Racal Space Suits.JPG|thumb|Racal suits used at the [[United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases]]<ref name=sidell/>]] A '''Racal suit''' (also known as a '''Racal space suit''')<ref>{{cite web|title=Racal space suit|url=http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Racal+space+suit|website=McGraw-Hill Concise Dictionary of Modern Medicine|accessdate=15 April 2015}}</ref> is a protective suit with a[[powered air-purifying respirator]] (PAPR). It consists of a plastic suit and a battery-operated blower with [[HEPA filter]]s that supplies filtered air to a positive-pressure hood (also known as a '''Racal hood'''). Racal suits were among the protective suits used by the [[Aeromedical Isolation Team]] (AIT) of the [[United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases]] to [[medical evacuation|evacuate]] patients with highly [[infectious disease]]s for treatment.<ref name=hearing>{{cite journal|title=The threat to the United States from Emerging Infectious Diseases, Hearing before the Committee on International Relations, House of Representatives|url=http://commdocs.house.gov/committees/intlrel/hfa46765.000/hfa46765_0f.htm|date=30 July 1997|page=9|accessdate=15 April 2015}}</ref><ref name=sidell>{{cite book|last1=Sidell|first1=Frederick R.|last2=Takafuji|first2=Ernest T.|last3=Franz|first3=David R., D.V.M.|title=Medical Aspects of Chemical and Biological Warfare|date=1997|publisher=Office of The Surgeon General Department of the Army, United States of America|url=http://www.sc-ems.com/ems/NuclearBiologicalChemical/MedicalAspectsofNBC/chapters/chapter_19.htm|accessdate=15 April 2015|chapter=19| archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20050426185617/http://sc-ems.com/ems/NuclearBiologicalChemical/MedicalAspectsofNBC/chapters/chapter_19.htm |archivedate=26 April 2005}}</ref> Originally, the hood was manufactured by Racal Health & Safety, a subsidiary of [[Racal Electronics]] located in [[Frederick, Maryland]], the same city where AIT was based.<ref name="sidell" /><ref name=":0" /> The division of Racal responsible for the suit's manufacture later became part of [[3M]],<ref name=":0">{{cite news|title=Racal Health & Safety to be sold to 3M for GBP432 mil|url=http://www.telecompaper.com/news/racal-health-and-safety-to-be-sold-to-3m-for-gbp432-mil--124544|accessdate=17 April 2015|work=Telecompaper|issue=5 December 1997}}</ref> and the respirator product line was branded as 3M/Racal.<ref>{{cite news|title=NIOSH Respirator User Notice|url=https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl/usernotices/notices/run-061298a.html|accessdate=17 April 2015|work=The National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory (NPPTL)|date=12 June 1998}}</ref> ==Components== [[File:Aeromedical isolation team members in field-protective suits.jpg|thumb|right|Details of the suit components]]The main body of the protective suit consists of a lightweight [[coverall]] made of [[polyvinyl chloride]] (PVC), rubber gloves, and rubber boots.<ref name=marklund/> Originally, the coverall was in a bright orange color, and the Racal suit was known as an '''orange suit'''.<ref name=hotzone/> The hood is a separate component from the protective suit. The Racal hood is a type of PAPR consisting of a transparent hood connected to a respirator, which is powered by a [[rechargeable battery]]. The respirator has three HEPA filters that are certified to remove 99.7% of particles of 0.03 to 3.0 [[Micrometre|microns]] in diameter. The filtered air is supplied at the rate of 170 [[standard litre per minute|L/min]] to the top of the hood under [[positive pressure]] for breathing and cooling. The air is forced out through an air exhaust valve at the base of the hood. A [[two-way radio]] system is installed inside the hood for communication.<ref name=hearing/><ref name=cdc>{{cite journal|last1=Christopher|first1=George|title=Air Evacuation under High-Level Biosafety Containment: The Aeromedical Isolation Team|journal=Emerging Infectious Diseases|date=April 1999|volume=5|issue=2|pages=241–246|doi=10.3201/eid0502.990208|url=http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/5/2/99-0208_article|accessdate=17 April 2015|pmid=10221876|pmc=2640682}}</ref> The AIT later switched from using transparent bubble hoods to [[butyl rubber]] hoods.<ref name="marklund">{{cite journal|last1=Marklund|first1=LA|title=Transporting patients with lethal contagious infections.|journal=International Journal of Trauma Nursing|date=2002|volume=8|issue=2|pages=51–3|pmid=12000908|url=http://intljourtranur.com.marlin-prod.literatumonline.com/article/S1075-4210(02)70009-6/pdf|doi=10.1067/mtn.2002.121669a}}</ref> ==Procedures== The main purpose of the AIT was to evacuate a patient from the field to a specialized isolation unit. As part of their procedures, AIT members wore Racal suits while transporting the patients.{{cn|date=April 2019}} They were trained to take a bathroom break before suiting up, since the time they would be in the suits could be 1 hour and 45 minutes for a training session and 4 to 6 hours for an actual mission.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Fleming-Michael|first1=Karen|title=Training Day|url=http://ww2.dcmilitary.com/dcmilitary_archives/stories/092805/37324-1.shtml|accessdate=17 April 2015|work=Comprint Military Publications|date=28 September 2005|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150120160922/http://ww2.dcmilitary.com/dcmilitary_archives/stories/092805/37324-1.shtml|archivedate=20 January 2015}}</ref> The patient was placed in a mobile stretcher isolator during transit. After the patient was delivered to the isolation unit, the members would leave the unit and enter into an [[anteroom]] with an [[airlock]]. They were then sprayed with [[glutaraldehyde]] solution to disinfect before the suit was cut away and sent to an on-site [[incinerator]] for complete destruction.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Hamblin|first1=James|title=21 Days|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/10/21-days/381901/|accessdate=17 April 2015|work=The Atlantic|date=26 October 2014}}</ref> ==Similar suits== The Racal suit is similar to other [[positive pressure personnel suit]]s such as the [[Chemturion]], in that there is an air supply to provide positive pressure to reduce the chance of [[Airborne disease|airborne agents]] entering the suit. However, several components are different. The positive pressure section for the Racal suit is only available at the hood. The air supply for Racal suits comes from a battery-operated blower that makes the suit portable, whereas other suits must be connected to an air [[hose]] that is part of the building, such as in [[biosafety level 4|Biosafety Level 4]] laboratories. The main body part of the Racal suit is also more lightweight and can be disposed of by burning after use.<ref name="hotzone">{{cite book |last1=Preston |first1=Richard |title=The hot zone |date=1995 |publisher=Anchor Books |location=New York, NY |isbn=9780307817655 |page=147 |edition=1st Anchor books |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E6BKpf2tSkoC&pg=PA147 |access-date=18 June 2021}}</ref> ==In popular culture== Racal suits were used in films such as ''[[Outbreak (film)|Outbreak]]'' in 1995.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Day|first1=Kathleen|title=A Clothes Call With Danger|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/business/1995/03/11/a-clothes-call-with-danger/b1633930-89ac-4258-b7fa-5674a7dc4f8f/|accessdate=30 October 2015|work=The Washington Post|date=11 March 1995}}</ref> The term is also used in literature related to situations with infectious diseases, such as in ''[[The Hot Zone|The Hot Zone: A Terrifying True Story]]'',<ref name=hotzone/> ''[[Infected (novel)|Infected]]'',<ref>{{cite book|last1=Sigler|first1=Scott|title=Infected a novel|date=2008|publisher=Crown Publishers|location=New York|isbn=9780307409171|edition=1st|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ihfWe10gLasC&q=Racal|accessdate=30 October 2015}}</ref> and ''[[Executive Orders]]''.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Clancy|first1=Tom|title=Executive orders|date=1996|publisher=Berkley Books|location=New York, N.Y.|isbn=9780425158630|edition=Berkley mass market|url=https://archive.org/details/executiveorders00clan_0|url-access=registration|accessdate=30 October 2015}}</ref> ==References== {{Reflist|30em}} [[Category:Protective gear]] [[Category:Emergency medical responders]] [[Category:Biological hazards]]'