Defense study to help build gas protection system

The Defense Department plans to study how airborne contaminants move around and inside the Pentagon in an effort to develop better systems for protecting its facilities against attacks.

The exercise, called Pentagon Shield, will take place from April 19 to May 15.
It is sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the Pentagon Force Protection Agency.

According to the Defense Department, during the exercise, a tracer gas will be released to simulate how chemical or biological agents would flow around and into the Pentagon. The gas, sulfur hexafluoride, is completely safe and commonly used in airflow testing, the department said.

Electronic sensors will measure temperature, wind speeds, wind directions and other specialized measurements system. The data will be used in computer models that simulate airflow and aid in development of an advanced chemical and biological protection system.