Arsenic vesicants effects

The majority of these materials are first generation chemical warfare agents employed in World War I. They are moderately difficult to synthesize and can be difficult to disperse effectively. For information on some of the chemicals used to manufacture arsenic vesicants, see the Component section (C04-C) following information on the individual agents. 

Arsenic vesicants produce immediate pain. Tissue damage occurs within minutes of exposure but clinical effects may not appear for up to 24 hours. Some agents are rapidly absorbed through the skin. Extensive skin contamination may cause systemic damage to the liver, kidneys, nervous system, red blood cells, and the brain. 

Structural firefighters protective clothing is recommended for fire situations only it is not effective in spill situations or release events and should never be used as the primary chemical protective garment to enter an area contaminated with arsenic vesicants. 

Steam is an effective method of destroying arsenic vesicants. However, care must be taken to limit the spread of the agent and to guard against production of the toxic and potentially vesicating hydrolysis products (see Section 4.4.5). 

Reactive oximes and their salts, such as potassium 2,3-butanedione monoximate found in commercially available Reactive Skin Decontaminant Lotion (RSDL), are extremely effective at rapidly detoxifying arsenic vesicants. 

BAL is the standard treatment for poisoning by arsenic compounds and will alleviate some effects from exposure to arsenic vesicants. It may also decrease the severity of skin and eye lesions if applied topically within minutes after decontamination is complete (i.e., within 2-5 minutes postexposure). Additional chelating agents for the treatment of systemic arsenic toxicity include meso-2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) and 2,3-dimercapto-l-propanesulfonic acid (DMPS). 

Caution Some serious burns from arsenical vesicants can cause shock and systemic poisoning and are life-threatening even when the victim survives the acute effects the... 

The oral LD50 values for elemental arsenic in rats and mice are 763 and 145 mg kg respectively. Arsenic compounds can have vesicant effects, which means they can cause blisters, irritation, and necrosis in exposed tissues, whether internal or external. 

No antidote is available for treatment of the sulfur component of Sulfur/ Arsenical Vesicants. BAL (Brihsh-Anti-Lewisite, dimercaprol) will alleviate some effects of the arsenical component. BAL is available as a soluhon in oil for intramuscular administration to counteract systemic effects. BAL skin ointment and BAL ophthalmic ointment are not currently manufactured. 

Lewisite (b-chlorovinyldichloroarsine) is an arsenical vesicant but of secondary importance in the vesicant group of agents. It was synthesized in the early twentieth century and has seen little or no battlefield use (Balali-Mood et al., 2005). Lewisite is similar to mustard in that it damages the skin, eyes, and airways however, it differs from mustard because its clinical effects appear within seconds of exposure. An antidote, British anti-Lewisite (BAL), can ameliorate the effects of Lewisite if used soon after exposure. Lewisite has some advantages over mustard but also some disadvantages. 

E. Systemic Effects. Liquid arsenical vesicants on the skin, as well as inhaled vapor, are absorbed and may cause systemic poisoning. A manifestation of this is a change in capillary permeability, which permits loss of sufficient fluid from the bloodstream to cause hemoconcentration, shock, and death. 

Both chloramine-T and dichloramine-T have marked antiseptic properties, chloramine-T being most frequently used because of its solubility in water. Aqueous solutions of chloramine-T can be used either for external application, or for internal application to the mouth, throat, etc, as chloramine-T in moderate quantities is non-toxic its aqueous solution can also be effectively used when the skin has come in contact with many of the vesicant liquid poison-gases, as the latter are frequently organic sulphur or arsenic derivatives which combine with or are oxidised by chloramine-T and are thus rendered harmless. 

Dimercaprol (BAL, British Anti-Lewisite) was developed in World War 11 as an antidote against vesicant organic arsenicals (B). It is able to chelate various metal ions. Dimercaprol forms a liquid, rapidly decomposing substance that is given intramuscularly in an oily vehicle. A related compound, both in terms of structure and activity, is di-mercaptopropanesulfonic acid, whose sodium salt is suitable for oral administration. Shivering, fever, and skin reactions are potential adverse effects. 

Arsenic trichloride is a vesicant and can cause severe damage to the respiratory system on inhalation it is rapidly absorbed through the skin, and a fatal case after a spill on the skin has been reported. The vapor of arsenic trichloride is highly irritating to the eyes. Some organic arsenicals, such as arsanilates, have a selective effect on the optic nerve and can cause blindness. 

Similar to the mustard agents, exposure prevention is the first line of defense against lewisite. Rapid decontamination is especially relevant to lewisite exposure due to the rapid development of pain (1-2 min) associated with lewisite exposure. Unlike other vesicants, an effective antidote for lewisite toxicity exists in the form of British anti-lewisite (BAL 2,3-dimercaptopropanol) which binds with arsenicals, thereby countering the lewisite-induced damage. Such chelation therapy is associated with notable side effects (e.g. renal effects) and requires carefiil medical management. More effective analogs of BAL have been developed with less significant side effects. 

Lewisite is an arsenical compound that acts locally as a vesicant, but also causes systemic effects (HSDB, 2008 Sidell et al, 1997). Lewisite directly affects enzyme... 

---