Technical support for recovery phase decision-making in the event of a chemical warfare agent release
- Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States)
Persistent chemical warfare agents such as the nerve agent VX and sulfur mustard were originally designed as terrain denial materials on the chemical battlefield. As a consequence, they do not rapidly degrade. In the course of preparedness planning for disposal of the US unitary stockpile of chemical warfare agents, communities have raised the issue of determining environmental concentrations and the potential health consequences of persistent agents following any agent event. This issue is common to several chemical warfare munition and materiel disposal activities in the United States, as well as for developing verification and compliance monitoring programs integral to the international Chemical Weapons Convention. Experimental research supporting the development of environmental monitoring protocols are summarized. They include the development of blood cholinesterase activity as a biomonitor of nerve agent exposure in domestic beef and dairy cattle, horses and sheep; measuring the permeation rates of construction materials such as unpainted wood and gypsum wall board to agent simulants; and developing an experimental monitoring protocol for agents in meat and grain.
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC05-84OR21400
- OSTI ID:
- 282337
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9505224--; ISBN 1-56555-079-X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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