International Recognition: VERTOX Laboratory, DRDE, Gwalior is the only designated laboratory in India by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) for both Environmental and Biomedical samples. VERTOX has achieved the status of designation for the first time in 2006 for environmental samples and also got designation for biomedical samples from its 1st proficiency test in 2016. Thereafter, able to maintain the status of designation by successful participation in Proficiency Tests conducted by OPCW for environmental and biomedical samples.
VERTOX Laboratory, DRDE is also NABL (National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories) accredited laboratory as per the latest standard of ISO/IEC 17025.
Activated carbon spheres (ACS) based new generation CBRN protective permeable suit Mk-V has been indigenously developed. The bulk production of NBC suit Mk-V, 50000 Nos have been successfully completed against the Army order worth 91.87 crores.
Indigenous Single tube lon Mobility Spectrometry (IMS) based hand held chemical detector (CAM) for point detection and twin tube IMS based chemical detector (Automatic Chemical Agent Detection and Alarm, ACADA) for detection and continuous monitoring of CWAs and Toxic Industrial Chemicals (TICS) have been developed successfully in collaboration with M/s Larsen & Toubro Ltd. (L&T), Bangalore. User Assisted Technical Trials were completed at CME, Pune. The CAM (Chemical Agent Monitor) & ACADA (Automatic Chemical Agent Detection & Alarm) successfully cleared the third party evaluation at International Laboratory TNO (The Netherlands Organization), The Netherlands in 2018.
First Aid Kit – Type A has been developed for emergencies of chemical and biological warfare agents. The product has been successfully trial evaluated by services and has gone for production. First Aid Kit – Type B Mk-II is ergonomically designed with shape and contours suitable for soldier proof actions. The kit weighs less than 20 Kgs.
A multi insect repellent Diethyl phenyl acetamide (DEPA) in spray, cream and lotion formulations have been accepted by Defence Services for protection of soldiers from mosquitoes and other vectors. They are also available for civil use.
DRDE, Gwalior has also developed Bio-digesters for Indian Railways. Railway has installed about 190,000 Bio-digesters so far and planning to complete in all coaches by month of October, 2019.
Recognition
OPCW Designated Laboratory - Vertox Laboratory
Introduction
- The Chemical Weapon Convention (CWC) is more than just a disarmament treaty. Whereas it is a comprehensive international commitment undertaken by the states of the world not to use or threaten to use chemical weapons against one another or on their own citizens. Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is an international body constituted for the implementation of CWC by means of strict Verification regime.
- Independent validation of the results of the analysis is of the utmost importance for the verification of Convention Related Chemicals (CRCs). Designated laboratories are the key players of the OPCW’s verification regime and they have capability to investigate allegations of the use of chemical weapons by the independent analysis.
- OPCW Designated Laboratories must have capability to perform off-site analysis of environmental samples collected by OPCW inspectors from chemical production facilities, storage depots and other installations, or biomedical samples of an individual exposed with the chemical warfare agents (CWAs) on alleged use of chemical weapons.
- Becoming a designated laboratory is no simple affair. The laboratory that wishes to join the network of designated laboratories must operate at their highest technical competency. To become designated laboratory, they need to successfully participate in the OPCW organized Proficiency Tests on environmental and/or biomedical samples. Besides they must have been accredited by their national accreditation authority after establishing a quality system in accordance with the ISO/IEC 17025.
Salient Features
- VERTOX Laboratory, DRDE, Gwalior is the only designated laboratory in India by the OPCW for both Environmental and Biomedical samples.
- VERTOX has achieved the status of designation for the first time in 2006 for environmental samples and also got designation for biomedical samples from its 1st proficiency test in 2016. Thereafter, able to maintain the status of designation by successful participation in Proficiency Tests conducted by OPCW for environmental and biomedical samples.
- VERTOX Laboratory, DRDE is NABL (National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories) accredited laboratory as per the latest standard of ISO/IEC 17025.
- VERTOX Laboratory is well equipped with state-of-art analytical instruments like Gas Chromatograph-Mass Spectrometer (GC-MS), Gas Chromatograph – Triple Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer (GC-MS/MS), Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography – Quadrupole / Time of Flight Mass Spectrometer (UPLC-QTOF), Ultra High Performance Liquid Chromatography – Orbitrap Mass Spectrometer (UHPLC-Orbitrap), Liquid Chromatograph – Triple Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer (LC-MS/MS), 400MHz and 600MHz Fourier Transform Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectrometer (FT-NMR).
- VERTOX laboratory provides necessary support and assurance to National Authority for Chemical Weapon Convention (NA-CWC), Cabinet Secretariat, Government of India where the chemical analyses needed to make decisions or to clarify the issues occurring during the OPCW deployments.
- VERTOX Laboratory developed several novel analytical methods and materials for the retrospective detection of Chemical Warfare Agents and published these findings in the esteemed international journals. Many of these analytical methods are included in the Recommended Operating Procedures (ROP’s) published by VERIFIN, Finland in collaboration with the OPCW.
- VERTOX Laboratory had also contributed more than 100 spectral data of the Convention Related Chemicals in the OPCW Central Analytical Database (OCAD).
Benefits
- VERTOX Laboratory will be able to defend the national interest in any eventuality.
- VERTOX Laboratory provides economic security to the chemical industries of our country.
Patents
Total 109 Patents have been granted which include 53 Indian, 44 international patents and 12 design patents to DRDE Scientists and officers from research activities of lab.