Development of Bioaerosol Alarming Detector

Abstract

Although banned by the BTWC in 1972, biological warfare agents continue to be a threat to military and public health. Countermeasures can only be effective if rapid detection and reliable identification techniques are in place. TNO Prins Maurits Laboratory, and Delft University of Technology and Bruker-Daltonic (Germany) are developing an bioaerosol alarm detector, based on fluorescence pre-selection, Aerosol Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (ATOFMS) and Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization (MALDI). Using this combination, mass spectra were obtained from single biological aerosol particles.