Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-12-03
New Arlnor Protects
Man From Atomic Dust
Alright Suits Fabricated
From High Crude Of Plastic

Atomic armor, primarily for use In
peace, but with possible military apple
cation. now is being developed.
Plastic clothing said to afford COM
plete protection against radioactive
dust and particles now Is In use ct the
British Atomic Energy Research Estab-
lishment and also at the plutonium
factory recently set up In Northern
England.
The protective suits are fabricated
from Q high grade plastic. To ensure
strong and alright seals. all the seams
In the clothing are welded electronically.
A compressed line Is fitted to the
transparent hood and o constant fiow
Of air maintains an internal pressure
Of approximately half o pound per
square inch throughout the suit. Should
minor leaks develop anywhere. the In
ternal pressure. being higher than that
Of the external atmosphere, Is believed
to be sufficient to repel any radioactive
dust The air escapes through an ex-
haust valve at the back Of the suit, the
constant flow keeping the wearer cool
and preventing the formation Of n1ois-
ture on the hood.
Suit for Chemical Plants.
For use in chemical plants. or other
atnlospheres carrying harmful dust
particles and vapors there is simple
infiatable hood made Of plastic sheet
with welded seams. The same COM
pressed air principle as on the. suit Is
used, and the hood has q transparent
visor and large skirt" which Is tucked
into the neck Of the normal protective
clothing 90 that 1t covers the shoulders.
Compressed air Is fed into the hood
by an air line. largely to provide COM
Portable conditions for the wearer. It
also prevents entry Of dust particles and
vapors at the junction Of hood and
tunic.
The first evidence collected at sea
that ATTITUDES north Of the tropics were
once covered by warmer waters than
at present has been obtained by Q
Scripps Institute Of Oceanography ex-
petition.
Cores Of bottom sediment as feet
long from two locations at the ap-
proximate latitude of Portland, Greg,
showed that beneath 10 to IS feet Of
the typical clay Of the sea bottom were
layers Of white calcareous ooze. DR..
J. D. Frautschy. geologist who directed
the coring operation, says that this
ooze is formed Of the shells Of forani-
nifera. one-celled animals of type
common to surface waters Of present.
day tropical seas.
Unusual Discovery.
Finding q deposit of this material
at depth of $4,000 feet where the
temperature is less than 35' F.. the
geologist says. sis unusual because
water this cold contains large volumes
of dissolved carbon dioxide gas which
is very effective in. dissolying small
shells before they have time to be
covered by the accommodating sediment.
I'm order for such small. soluble
particles to survive this long exposure,
water temperature at the time of depo-
sition must have been several degrees
higher than at present. Previous EVIL
.dence collected farther south suggests
that about 40 million years ago north
ern Pacific bottom-water temperatures
were in range Of So to So F."'
!, The region explored lies about 1000
miles west of the California coast. It
is marked by ranges Of undersea hills
that extend east-west, rather than
north south as do mountains and val
leys Of the adjacent mainland. Two
great lines Of cliffs divide the area
into separate geological provinces.
The expedition was supported by the
Office Of Naval Research.