US Army units will soon begin receiving the Contamination Indicator / Decontamination Assurance System (CIDAS), which can quickly and easily detect neurotoxins, Janes said. This group of substances includes, in particular, compounds known in Russia as “Novichok”.
The agency's publication discloses that the proposed method “is designed to trap certain classes of neurotoxins, such as nerve agents that are extremely toxic to humans,” “at low concentration levels.”
CIDAS uses “complex proteins produced naturally by living organisms that act as catalysts for certain biochemical reactions.” “When they are applied to a surface in liquid form as a spray, the color change determines the exact location of the chemical warfare agent,” notes Janes.
In September, one of the developers of Novichok-class nerve agents, Doctor of Chemistry Vil Mirzayanov, named a possible substance from the Alexey Navalny case. In his opinion, we are talking about a compound codenamed A-242.
