Chemical Warfare Agent Degradation and Decontamination

Abstract

The decontamination of chemical warfare agents (CWA) from structures, environmental media, and even personnel has become an area of particular interest in recent years due to increased homeland security concerns. In addition to terrorist attacks, scenarios such as accidental releases of CWA from U.S. stockpile sites or from historic, buried munitions are also subjects for response planning. To facilitate rapid identification of practical and effective decontamination approaches, this paper reviews pathways of CWA degradation by natural means as well as those resulting from deliberately applied solutions and technologies; these pathways and technologies are compared and contrasted. We then review various technologies, both traditional and recent, with some emphasis on decontamination materials used for surfaces that are difficult to clean. Discussion is limited to the major threat CWA, namely sulfur mustard (HD, bis[2-chloroethyl]sulfide), VX (O-ethyl S-[2-diisopropylaminoethyl] methylphosphonothioate), and the Gseries nerve agents. The principal G-agents are GA (tabun, ethyl N,N-dimethylphosphoramidocyanidate), GB (sarin, isopropyl methylphosphonofluoridate), and GD (soman, pinacolyl methylphosphonofluoridate). The chemical decontamination pathways of each agent are outlined, with some discussion of intermediate and final degradation product toxicity. In all cases, and regardless of the CWA degradation pathway chosen for decontamination, it will be necessary to collect and analyze pertinent environmental samples during the treatment phase to confirm attainment of clearance levels.

Nanoporous polymer materials based on self-organized, bicontinuous cubic lyotropic liquid crystal assemblies and their applications

“…These permeation values represent a vapor molar selectivity for H 2 O/2-chloroethyl ethyl sulfide of 150, which is 500 times higher than the H 2 O/2-chloroethyl ethyl sulfide selectivity seen through pure, vulcanized BR on the same support. 35 This same Q I -phase cross-linked 3b/BR/H 2 O polymer material was later examined as a breathable barrier for protection against nerve agent CWAs (that is, highly toxic, reactive organophosphorus esters that disrupt neurochemical pathways and cause the loss of autonomic functions 36 ). 38 Using dimethyl methylphosphonate (DMMP) as a nerve agent simulant, it was found that the cross-linked, Q I -phase 3b/BR/H 2 O composite worked extraordinarily well for the rejection of DMMP while maintaining high water-vapor breathability.…”

Decontamination of Chemical Warfare Agents

“…The reaction mechanism is similar to as given in Figs 8 to 11. 7.27 Nanosized Metal Oxides as CWA Decontaminants Recently, nanosized particles of MgO, Al 2 O 3 and CaO have been found to be the potential reactive sorbent materials owing to their high surface area, strong adsorbability, potential reactivity towards chemical warfare agents, and these remove the agent rapidly from the contaminated surfaces and degrade them in situ and render the hazardous agents non-toxic [32][33][34][35][36][37][38] . In addition, titania nanotubes, manganese oxide nanotubes were also found to be having promising CWA decontamination properties [76][77][78][79][80] .…”

Use of NMR techniques for toxic organophosphorus compound profiling

“…The development has been concentrated on the physical protection of body and respiration, medical protection involving pretreatment and therapy, and detection for alarming, monitoring, identification, and verification of CWA [3] but also on the efficient decontamination of contaminated skin, equipment, vehicles, land areas, and other surfaces [132,133]. Furthermore, the CWC obligates that existing CWA stockpiles and production facilities are destroyed, so those States Parties owing large stocks of CWAs have needed methods for efficient dispose of munitions.…”