Testing of paint according to STANAG 4360

Testing of the resistance to chemical agents according to method 8C in STANAG 4360 (Edition 2 in draft) has been performed on two paints from the Swedish Armed Forces. The method evaluates the resistance of paint systems to chemical agents using mustard gas and nerve gas (soman and VX). The method determines both the amount of agent remaining in the paint after decontamination (absorbed amount) and the amount that can be transferred by contact (desorbed amount). The results show that none of the two paints fulfils the criteria for resistance to chemical agents according to STANAG 4360 since the maximum amount of absorbed and desorbed mustard is exceeded. Recommendations: - When testing for resistance to chemical agents, a preliminary investigation of the resistance to mustard gas should be done since it has the highest potential to be decisive because of its aggressive nature against material. - Testing of resistance to chemical agents according to STANAG 4360 does not mean any technical difficulties compared to the present MIL-specification and can thus be implemented in the Swedish Defence Standards.