The Chameleon Chemical Detection armband plays a critical, lifesaving role for military personnel, first responders, law enforcement, and more. The Chameleon Armband is a passive chemical detection armband that requires no calibration or power. It requires minimal training detects up to 10 different chemicals or classes at once, while being comfortably hands-free and lightweight. Traditional chemical detection gear is expensive, heavy, and can be difficult to use.
The Chameleon Chemical Detection Armband – What We Hear
“The Chameleon can be issued to all hands and are easy to read and understand for operations personnel. Also in wet, high humidity areas our electronics tend to have an increased false positive result and downtime. The Chameleon is similar to Ph paper yet better, with the ability to detect additional hazards as well.”
– District Chief, Operations (Virginia Beach Fire Department)
We believe that the feedback we receive from our customers showcases what we do in the best light. Aside from fire departments, the Chameleon is used in countless fields. Our end-users are hazmat teams, military service members, and local law enforcement that handle everyday unseen risks.
Where is the need?
Fire & Rescue:
In the United States, there are over 52,000 local fire departments and almost 36% of have active fire investigation teams. Why it matters? Synthetic building materials used in modern structures, including furniture and paint release carcinogens when burned. Firefighters and fire investigators face a Group 1 carcinogenic classification, with a 9% higher risk of developing cancer and a 14% greater risk of dying from it compared to the general public. For rescue teams, the need for chemical detection is prevalent everyday. It is common for natural disasters like floods, earthquakes, and tornadoes to cause secondary threats, including the release of toxic chemicals into the atmosphere. Directly following the event, it is critical to monitor air quality levels to reduce the risk of harm. Most chemical detection devices can’t operate in wet conditions.
The Chameleon is built for real-world conditions. It can be immersed in water (salt of fresh) for up to one hour making it a great choice when natural disasters strike.
HAZMAT:
Hazmat teams make up approximately 18% of all registered fire departments in the United States. In 2024 The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration Office of Hazardous Material Safety reported 27,366 hazardous incidents. Across the country nearly 75 hazardous events occurred each day, making chemical detection and protection during hazmat incidents paramount in the lives of these responders. Whether caused by an industrial, transportation, or residential accident; hazardous material incidents can threaten an entire community.
Although specialized HazMat teams handle these incidents, police officers are often the first to arrive on the scene. Identifying the presence of toxic chemicals is a critical first step in assessing the situation. Establishing a safe perimeter after this kind of accident is often an important first step and must be determined by the relative risk and presence of toxic chemicals. Gasses and vapors can spread in many different directions meaning that careful monitoring of the air for toxic chemicals helps law enforcement and first responders detect changes in hot and cold zones around a HazMat incident. Additionally, many chemical detection devices require extensive and specialized training which may make them impractical for many applications. With minimal training, all personnel can use the Chameleon Hazmat detection kit.
Military:
Over 1.2 million individuals make up the U.S. military historically, although extremely sad, chemical warfare agents have been used against soldiers during wartime. Chemical warfare agents can fall into several categories (Choking agents, Blister agents, Blood agents, and Nerve agents) and always have severe consequences. Although the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) exists and intends to permanently and verifiably eliminate chemical weapons, chemicals are still a major threat facing our military servicemembers.
Law Enforcement:
The seating capacities of sports venues in the US range from capacities of 750 spectators to 107,601 spectators, with the average sports venue being able to host around 26,259.2 spectators. For Instance, large scale events like sporting events, concerts, parades, and conventions have sadly become potential targets for terrorist attacks. These events could be catastrophic, given the large population affected and a limited number of exits. Continual monitoring of the air can help law enforcement respond quickly should a chemical attack take place. The Chameleon hands-free chemical detection armband can operate in all weather conditions, so you can be confident in the results.
When looking at large scale events in the United States, it is difficult to estimate the number of law enforcement officers needed, but each of these events in themselves have potential chemical risks to the lives of these officers. Unseen dangers can present themselves in the everyday work that law enforcement officers undergo as well.
I Need the Chameleon, “What Now”?
The Chameleon Chemical Detection armband is an outstanding addition to any safety arsenal. Morphix Technologies has a network of distributors worldwide to simplify the purchase of the Chameleon Chemical Detection Armband. Contact Morphix Technologies for purchase options by phone at (757) 431-2260 or by email at sales@morphtec.com. The Chameleon is also available for purchase on GSA (for US Government customers). Find more information about the Chameleon and the full product line here.