Lewisite discovery

British Anti-Lewisite (BAL) is a dithiol used as an antidote in mercury poisoning. It was originally developed as an antidote to a mustard-gas-hke chemical warfare agent called Lewisite. Lewisite was developed near the end of World War I and never used. By the onset of World War II, Lewisite was considered to be obsolete because of the discovery of BAL, an effective, inexpensive antidote. The two thiol groups of BAL form a water-soluble complex with mercury (or with the arsenic in Lewisite) that is excreted from the body in the urine. 

It is very important for regulators, residents, and stakeholders to get whatever help they can get. The press is often invaluable at uncovering information. Most reporters are inquisitive and observant. This section presents an example of how listening to a simple observation by a reporter (actually, a magazine writer) led to the discovery of a major problem area and undoubtedly kept a lot of kids from falling prey to Lewisite contamination. 

The Cut and Fill map shows several areas of deep fill in the federal property compatible with the witness description. The undeniable fact that a narrow-gauge railroad line existed on the federal property and the discovery of one burial pit on a hillside adjacent to that railroad give credence to the witness statement. Three items being developed at the AUES— Lewisite, ricin, and the toxic smoke candles—could have been termed strategic weapons as the term was used in the ERA CID report. 

The person credited with its discovery, Capt W. Lee Lewis, wrote and gave speeches about Lewisite long after the war was over. These articles and speeches provided important information that helped the regulators learn where to search for arsenic. 

Winfred Lee Lewis is credited with the discovery and refinement of Lewisite, one of the most toxic gases developed during this period and one that remained in our arsenal until the treaty banning chemical weapons. The relevant parts of this speech are reproduced here to get a good understanding of the history of the effort and how the work was actually accomplished. 

POIs 13 and 14 were the northern circular trenches and a side pit. On January 5, 1993, laboratory glassware and munitions were found buried in the pit The discovery was made by a contractor digging a trench to install utility lines to a newly constructed house. One chemical shell was breached by the backhoe. An emergency removal action was conducted that eventually resulted in 141 shells being excavated, of which 44 were deemed chemical. Some were high explosives, filled with gun cotton. Lewisite (L-2 and L-3) was found on glassware. 

Lewisite (CICH CH AsCl2)5 the most vesicant of the arsenical war gases, produces lesions in man that are not reversed or even averted by any mono-thiol. The work done by Peters and his colleagues at Oxford from 1923 onwards led to the discovery that lewisite injures the skin and exerts widespread toxicity by blocking - SH- groups of pyruvate oxidase (Peters, 19365 1948). Injuries caused by lewisite can be completely reversed by those dithiols which have two -- SH - groups close together (Peters, Stocken,... 

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