Detection and measurement of sulfur mustard (HD) offgassing from the weanling pig following exposure to saturated HD vapor. Technical report, September-October 1994
Sulfur mustard (HD) is a chemical warfare agent for which there is neither antidote nor adequate therapeutic protection. Animal models are employed to investigate mechanisms of injury and to evaluate protective measures against HD exposure. Researchers whose experiments involve cutaneous application of HD vapor to animals benefit from the detection and quantitation of HD at the exposed site. The ability to detect and quantify HD enables the researcher to follow safe procedures in handling skin samples. We have designed an experimental procedure to measure HD offgassing from animal models. A Minicams(R), which is a portable gas chromatograph (GC) equipped with a flame photometric detector (FPD) and with online sorbent collection and desorption, was used to monitor the HD concentration. Confirming measurements were made using a two-step process that trapped HD on a Tenax sorbent offline and then transferred the sample by means of an ACEM 900 to a OC equipped with either FPD or a mass spectrometer (MS). We collected data from six experiments in which weanling pigs were exposed to saturated HD vapor via vapor caps containing 10 micro of HD. HD concentration was measured in time-weighted-average (TWA) units at a specific HD application site. The currently recommended exposure value for HD is 3 ng/l, 1 TWA unit. In five of the six experiments, Minicams HD concentration values were less than 0.5 TWA, 2 hours postexposure, and in one of the experiments, TWA Minicams concentration was less than 0.5 TWA, 5 hours post-exposure. OCIMS detection was used in three of the experiments to confirm Minicams data and to provide greater sensitivity and selectivity at 0.1 TWA. GC/MS data confirmed that HD concentrations fell below 0.1 TWA in less than S hours for a specific site.
- Research Organization:
- Army Medical Research Inst. of Chemical Defense, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 612128
- Report Number(s):
- AD-A-339561/3/XAB; USAMRICD-TR-97-04; TRN: 81460531
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: PBD: Nov 1997
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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