The M8 Detector Paper detects the presence nerve agents and blister agents. They are known by their chemical name, or a two-letter NATO designation, also classified by where or who discovered them.
M8 paper is a preliminary detection technique best suited for detection of liquid on non-porous materials.
Each sheet of paper has three separate detection dyes. The yellow color appears when exposed to G nerve agents, the dark green color appears when exposed to V nerve agents, and the red color appears when exposed to H blister agents. The M8 detector paper does not detect aerosol or vapour agents.
The technology and use of the Detector Chemical Agent, Nerve Vapour (NAVD) was developed in the early 1960’s at Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC). It is a quick method for soldiers to detect nerve agents.
The M8 was a Canadian invention, first standardized in 1963. By 1964 it entered US service as a part of the M15A2 Chemical Agent Detector Kit. About 67,000 of these kits were produced from 1965- 1969, with most other NATO nations also purchasing the M8.
The detector paper provides easy detection and differentiation of the three main groups of liquid chemical warfare agents: GB, VX and HD. In contact with a drop of chemical agent, the color of the paper changes in less than 30 seconds for quick identification.
Blister agent (H) is a chemical compound that irritates and causes injury to the skin.
Agent (V) series and (G) series (for Germany) discovered in the 1930s and 40s, called nerve gases, are a class of organic chemicals that disrupt the mechanisms by which nerves transfer messages to organs.