| abstract |
APPARATUS FOR DETECTING BIOLOGICAL AGENTS SUCH AS VEGETATIVE BACTERIA, SPORES AND VIRUSES, CAPABLE OF OPERATING SATISFACTORILY WHEN SUPPLIED WITH MINUTE SAMPLES OF MATERIAL TO BE TESTED, EVEN WHEN PRESENT IN A CONTINUOUS BACKGROUND OF MATTER SIMILAR IN NAURRE. THE EQUIPMENT UTILIZES THE PHENOMENON OF CHEMILUMINESCENCE AND, MORE PARTICULARLY, PROVIDES THE PROPER CONDITIONS FOR CHEMILUMINESCENCE OF LUMINOL BY HYDROGEN PEROXIDE, OPERATING IN AN INTERMITTENT FLOW SYSTEM SUPPLIED WITH THE AGENTS BY AN AEROSOL PARTICLE COLLECTOR, AND IN WHICH DETECTION OF THE CHEMILUMINESCENCE IS BY A PHOTOMULTIPLIER TUBE THE OUTPUT OF WHICH IS MONITORED. PHOTOMULTIPLIER OUTPUT COULD BE RECORDED ON A CHART, MAGNETIC TAPE OR MERELY DESIGNED TO SET OFF AN ALARM WHEN VALUES EXCEED A PRECIRIBED THRESHOLD. |