The Detoxification And Natural Degradation Of Chemical Warfare Agents

Bogen omhandler afgiftning og den naturlige nedbrydning af de almindeligst kendte kemiske kampmidler, senneps- og nervegasser, og problemerne omkring dekontaminering under feltforhold og i civilforsvaret.

This book presents a detailed history of chemical warfare development during the First World War and discusses design approaches to gas masks and the performance of new filter materials that decontaminate chemical warfare agents (CWA) when applied in the vapor phase. It describes multifunctional nanocomposites containing zinc and zirconium (hydr)oxides, graphite oxide and silver or gold nanoparticles as reactive adsorbents for the degradation of the CWAs vapors. In addition it examines in detail the surface properties that are most important in the mineralization performance.

Based on results previously restricted for military use and inaccessible to the public, this practice-oriented handbook introduces the use of enzymes for fast and efficient decontamination of B/C weapons in various scenarios, including terrorist attacks. It draws on the internationally recognized technological leadership of the German armed forces, whose anti-B/C technology is among the most advanced worldwide. The text is rounded off with a look at future perspectives.

The U.S. Army Chemical Stockpile Disposal Program was established with the goal of destroying the nation's stockpile of lethal unitary chemical weapons. Since 1990 the U.S. Army has been testing a baseline incineration technology on Johnston Island in the southern Pacific Ocean. Under the planned disposal program, this baseline technology will be imported in the mid to late 1990s to continental United States disposal facilities; construction will include eight stockpile storage sites. In early 1992 the Committee on Alternative Chemical Demilitarization Technologies was formed by the National Research Council to investigate potential alternatives to the baseline technology. This book, the result of its investigation, addresses the use of alternative destruction technologies to replace, partly or wholly, or to be used in addition to the baseline technology. The book considers principal technologies that might be applied to the disposal program, strategies that might be used to manage the stockpile, and combinations of technologies that might be employed.

This book describes nerve agents and vesicants, their decomposition and their degradation products' chemistry as well as their toxicity including a list of detection techniques of nerve agents and their degradation products. This book will present their history, toxicity, comparison between different sample preparation methods, separation techniques, and detection methods all together in a short, easy to read book, tied together by a single group doing the writing and the editing to assure smooth transition from chapter to chapter, with sufficient Tables and literature references for the reader who looks to further detail.The text will illustrate the pluses and minuses of the various techniques with sufficient references for the reader to obtain extensive detail.

FRANCIS W. HOLM Science Applications International Corporation 7102 Meadow Lane, Chevy Chase, MD 20815 The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) sponsored an Advanced Research Workshop (ARW) in Warsaw, Poland on April 24-25, 1995, to collect and study information on alternative and supplemental demilitarization technologies. The conference included experienced scientists and engineers, who delivered presentations and provided written reports oftheir findings. Countries describing their technologies included: Poland (pre-processing, thermal oxidation, and instrumentation), Russia (molten salt oxidation, plasma, catalytic oxidation, supertoxicants, molten metal, fluid bed reactions, and hydrogenation), Germany (supercritical water oxidation and detoxification), the United Kingdom (electrochemical oxidation), the United States (wet air oxidation, detoxification and biodegradation), and the Czech Republic (biodegradation). The technologies identified for assessment at the workshop are alternatives to incineration technology for chemical warfare agent destruction. Treatment of metal parts and explosive or energetic material were considered as a secondary issue. The treatment of dunnage and problems associated with decontamination, while recognized as an element of demilitarization, received only limited discussion. The alternative technologies are grouped into three categories based on process bulk operating temperature: low (O-200°C), medium (200-600°C), and high (600-3,500°C). Reaction types considered include hydrolysis, oxidation, electrochemical, hydrogenation, and pyrolysis. These categories represent a broad spectrum of processes, some of which have been studied only in the laboratory and some of which are in commercial use for destruction of hazardous and toxic wastes. Some technologies have been developed and used for specific commercial applications.

Organophosphorus (OP) nerve agents are some of the most potent toxic agents conceived by mankind, are specific inhibitors of cholinesterase (ChE), and therefore are a serious threat to military and civilian personnel. OP nerve agents can exist as a liquid and contaminate skin, penetrate, resulting in deleterious systemic effects including a cholinergic crisis. Another serious problem that may be encountered while caring for personnel contaminated with organophosphorus chemical warfare nerve agents is the possibility that there will be cross-contamination to the medical personnel. In addition, during combat or terrorist acts, individuals might be exposed to chemical toxins before they don their protective gear. We have been developing enzyme immobilized polyurethane foams that can effectively decontaminate the skin and other such exposed surfaces of the organophosphorus toxins in a wide variety of environmental conditions. With additives, the sponges provided increased protection for guinea pigs exposed to neat soman and VX compared to currently fielded kits, and reduces methylene blue uptake in mustard-exposed animals. Sponges have several criteria to meet to be effective personal decontaminants and detoxifiers of chemical warfare agents. The sponges must be lightweight for individual use, yet be shelf-stable under environmental conditions found in the field. In this manner, the sponges would provide immediate use for either the individual or a buddy in a field.

FRANCIS W. HOLM 7102 Meadow Lane, Chevy Chase, MD 20815 The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) sponsored an Advanced Research Workshop (ARW) in Prague, Czech Republic, on 1-2 July 1996, to collect and study information on mobile alternative and supplemental demilitarization technologies and to report these fmdings. The mobile, or transportable, technologies identified for assessment at the workshop are alternatives to incineration technology for destruction of munitions, chemical warfare agent, and associated materials and debris. Although the discussion focused on the treatment of metal parts and explosive or energetic material, requirements for decontamination of other materials were discussed. The mobile alternative technologies are grouped into three categories based on process bulk operating temperature: low (0-200 C), medium (200-600 C), and high (600- 3,500 C). Reaction types considered include hydrolysis, biodegradation, electrochemical oxidation, gas-phase high-temperature reduction, stearn reforming, gasification, sulfur reactions, solvated electron chemistry, sodium reactions, supercritical water oxidation, wet air oxidation, and plasma torch technology. These categories represent a broad spectrum of processes, some of which have been studied only in the laboratory and some of which are in commercial use for destruction of hazardous and toxic wastes. Some technologies have been developed and used for specific commercial applications; however, in all cases, research, development, test, and evaluation (RDT &E) is necessary to assure that each technology application is effective for destroying chemical warfare materiel.