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Methodology and biological monitoring of exposure to chemical warfare agents

Conference ·
OSTI ID:416159
; ;  [1]
  1. Army Medical Research Inst. of Chemical Defense, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD (United States)

In the past few years, our institute has developed several GC/MS methods for the detection of the breakdown products of toxic organophosphonates (soman, sarin, GF) and vesicant sulfur mustard in biological samples. Recently we developed a modified GC/MS method for VX and are continually working on the methodology for lewisite and tabun. The purpose is to have an analytical tool to verify the exposure of chemical warfare agents in humans. Analytical procedures for quantitating the hydrolyzed phosphonic acids from nerve agents in environmental samples have been reported by many analysts. For more complex matrices such as biological samples, there is not yet a method reported. To make these polar acids amenable to gas chromatographic analysis a prior derivatization is needed. We found the pentafluorobenzyl ester derivatives of the phosphonates are suitable for verification and pharmacokinetic studies in biological samples. This method may also serve as an alternative method for confirmation purposes in environmental samples.

Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States)
OSTI ID:
416159
Report Number(s):
ORNL/M--4315; CONF-9409370--; ON: DE95016127
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English