Recommended combat drinking water standards for organophosphorus nerve agents

Conference · Thu Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1989

OSTI ID:6032806

Daniels, J. I.; Schaub, S. A.

Organophosphorus (OP) nerve agents may be used on an integrated battlefield and US Army preventive medicine and quartermaster personnel are required to ensure the safety of drinking water supplies in such combat situations. We developed improved drinking water standards for OP nerve agents, recommending interim drinking water standards for OP nerve agents for consumption rates of 5 and 15 L/d and exposure periods lasting up to seven days. The relationship between pharmacokinetic parameters and toxic responses were established for OP nerve agents for the oral route of exposure only and soman (GD) and VX were identified as being the OP nerve agents of most concern in field-drinking-water supplies. Inhibition of red blood cell cholinesterase (RBC-ChE) was linked to the potential for performance degradation, however, actual toxicological interactions probably occur at cholinergic synapses (i.e., junctions between nerves or nerves and muscles), which cannot be monitored in vivo. In the absence of prophylactic pretreatment with substances such as carbamates, the recommended standards correspond to 50% inhibition of RBC-ChE and are 12 and 4 /mu/g/L for 5 and 15 L/d consumption rates, respectively. If prophylactic pretreatment with a carbamate is used, then RBC-ChE will be inhibited prior to exposure, and the recommended standards correspond to 20% inhibition of RBC-ChE, which correspond to 4.7 and 1.6 /mu/g/L for 5 and 15 L/d consumption rates, respectively. 12 refs.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-48
• OSTI ID: 6032806
• Report Number(s): UCRL-101200; CONF-890887-1; ON: DE89014178
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

560300* -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
CHEMICAL WARFARE
CONTAMINATION
DETECTION
DRINKING WATER
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
NERVOUS SYSTEM
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC PHOSPHORUS COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
STANDARDS
WARFARE
WATER