Vapor mustard

Clinical signs and symptoms from mustard (H/HD) are not apparent until hours later skin blisters might not appear for up to twenty-four hours, but tissue damage occurs within two minutes. If decontamination is not done within the first two minutes after exposure, nothing can be done to prevent a mustard injury. Since mustard (H/HD) can be detected by human beings by smell in concentrations of 0.6 to 1.0 mg/m3 as a garlic, horseradish, or mustard odor an alert person will most likely smell the mustard vapor before encountering the liquid. 

Note Surfaces contaminated with HD and then rinse decontaminated may evolve sufficient mustard vapor to produce a physiological response. 

Protection afforded by combination of sateen fatigues with chloramide-treated protective liner worn by men exposed to mustard vapor. U.S. Army Chemical Research and Development Laboratories. Edgewood Arsenal, Md. Technical Report CRDLR 3225. 1964. 14 p. 

Information on the potential carcinogenicity of sulfur mustard is available primarily from studies on rats and mice. McNamara et al. (1975) exposed SDW rats, ICR Swiss albino and A/J mice, rabbits, guinea pigs, and dogs to sulfur mustard vapors for varying exposure durations up to one year. The test animals were exposed to 0.001 mg HD/m continuously or to 0.1 mg HD/m for 6.5 hr followed by... 

Although there are dose-response data from an animal inhalation exposure study (McNamara et al., 1975, see Section 5.1.1), route-to-route extrapolation (from inhalation to oral, as calculated in Section 5.2.1) is not considered appropriate because the exposure protocol of McNamara et al. (1975) resulted in rat skin tumors which might have occurred, not a result of systemic uptake, but as a result of dermal contact with sulfur mustard vapor (perhaps trapped by the rat pelt). Therefore, there is no method for estimating the dermal dose of sulfur mustard, or for converting this to an oral dose. 

Relative to dermal absorption, little is known about absorption in the respiratory tract. Cameron et al (1946) calculated the absorption of sulfur mustard vapor in the noses of rabbits and rhesus monkeys. The concentration of the agent in the nasal passages was 10-30% of the chamber concentrations (40, 100, and 500mg/m ), implying an absorption of approximately 70-90%. 

Acute lethality data in animals are summarized in Table 8.7. Based upon the animal data, interspecies variability in the lethal response to sulfur mustard vapor is less than an order of magnitude. For nonlethal effects, the animal data suggest that test species exhibit signs of toxicity that are qualitatively similar to humans when acutely exposed to sulfur mustard vapor. Ocular and respiratory tract irritations are clearly evident in studies using dogs, rats, mice, rabbits, and guinea pigs. 

TABLE 8.9. Estimated effects thresholds in humans exposed to nitrogen mustard vapors... 

Various standards and guidelines have been developed for sulfur mustard. These values are applieable to occupational exposures, emergeney planning and response efforts, and remediation efforts. Airborne exposure limits (AELs) and health-based environmental sereening levels (HBESLs) for sulfur mustard have been developed by the US Army (USACHPPM, 1999, 2000). Most health-based criteria for sulfur mustard vapor exposure are based upon protection of the eyes and respiratory traet whieh are the most sensitive targets. 

Battlefield air eoneentrations of mustard vapor in World War I were estimated to be in the range 19-33 mg/m (i.e. 19-33 pg/l), and soldiers were exposed for various lengths of time (Ashkenazi et ah, 1991 Thorpe and Whiteley, 1939). At these eoneentrations, unshielded eyes exposed for only a few minutes would incur irreversible comeal damage. Exposure levels causing injury have been graded as outlined below (Ashkenazi etal, 1991 Solberg e/u/., 1997 Dahl et ah, 1985). 

Kadar, T., Amir, A., Fishbeine, E., Chapman, S., Liani, H., Sahar, R., Rabinovitz, I., Simon, G., Frishman, G., Sheivitz, R., Turetz, J. (1996). The potential therapy of steroids against ocular lesions induced by sulfur mustard vapor in rabbits. Medical Defense Bioscience Review, US Army Medical Research and Material Command, Proceedings, Vol. II. 845-52. 

Logan, T.P., Graham, J.S., Martin, J.L., Zallnick, J.E., Jaku-howski, E.M., Braue, E.H. (2000). Detection and measurement of sulfur mustard offgassing from the weanling pig following exposure to saturated sulfur mustard vapor. J. Appl. Toxicol. 20 (Suppl. 1) SI99-204. 

Yourick, J.J., Dawson, J.S., Mitcheltree, L.W. (1995). Reduction of erythema in hairless guinea pigs after cutaneous sulfur mustard vapor exposure by pretreatment with niacinamide, promethazine and indomethacin. J. Appl. Toxicol. 15 133-8. 

Significant amounts of sulfur mustard may be absorbed from skin that has been in direct contact with sulfur mustard. Vapors of sulfur mustard may also be absorbed from the respiratory system. 

SYNS BIS(P-CHLOROETHYL)SULFIDE BIS(2-CHLOROETHYL)SULPHIDE l-CHLORO-2-(p-CHLOROETHYLTHIO)ETHANE P.P-DICHLOR-ETHYDSULPHIDE D 2,2 -DICHLORODIETHYL SULFIDE DI-2-CHLOROETHYL SULFIDE D P,P -DICHLOROETHYL SULFIDE 2,2 -DICHLOROETHYL SULPHIDE (MAK) DISTILLED MUSTARD KAMPSTOFF LOST MUSTARD GAS MUSTARD HD MUSTARD VAPOR SCHWEFEL-LOST S-LOST S MUSTARD SULFUR MUSTARD SULFUR MUSTARD GAS SULPHUR MUSTARD GAS 1,1 -TH10BIS(2-CHLOROETHANE) YELLOW CROSS LIQUID YPERITE... 

A single low-dose exposure to mustard vapor with laryngeal and tracheobronchial mucosal effects may not lead to significant injury once healed. A cough may persist 1 month or longer. Hoarseness usually lasts only 1-2 weeks. However, repeated or chronic low-dose exposure can lead to progressive pulmonary fibrosis, chronic bronchitis, and bronchiectasis. 

The eye is the most sensitive tissue to sulfur mustard effects. Sulfur mustard vapor or liquid may cause intense conjunctival and scleral pain, swelling, lacrimation, blepharospasm, and photophobia however, these effects do not appear for an hour or more. Miosis due to cholinergic effects may occur. High concentrations of vapor or liquid can cause corneal edema, perforation, blindness, and later scarring. 

Program. Based on IMS technology, the ICAM upgrades the CAM with improved reliability and maintainability. It is a handheld device for real-time detection of low levels of nerve and mustard vapors and is capable of both day and night operation. More than 6,000 ICAMs have been procured to date. 

Sulfur mustard is environmentally stable. After aerosolization by bomb explosion, shell blast or spraying, sulfur mustard vaporizes slowly, persisting in the environment for over a week in temperate climates (2). 

Fig. 3.1 (See color plate) Dorsum of right foot about 48h after exposure to sulfur mustard vapor with characteristic blisters. (Courtesy of Professor Steen Christensen, Ronne, Denmark Anitta Lild, photographer, Aarhus, Jutland.)...

Common Name(s) Distilled Mustard, Kampfstoff "Lost", Mustard HD, Mustard Vapor, Mustard Sulfur, S Mustard, S-Lost, S-Yperite, Schwefel-Lost, Sulfur Mustard, Sulfur Mustard Gas, Sulphur Mustard, Sulphur Mustard Gas, Yellow Cross Liquid, Yperite... 

Mustard is an oily liquid and is generally regarded as a persistent chemical agent because of its low volatility, usually allowing the liquid to remain on surfaces longer than 24 h. At higher temperatures, such as those in the Middle East during the hot season, 38°C-49°C (100°F-120°F), mustard vapor is a major hazard. The persistency of mustard (in sand) decreases from 100 to 7 h as the temperature rises from 10°C to 38°C (50°F-100°F) (CRDEC, 1990). 

Mustard vapor has a 5.4-fold greater density than that of air, causing it to hug the ground and sink into trenches and gullies. Despite low volatility, more than 80% of the mustard casualties during World War I were caused by vapor, not the liquid form of mustard (Mann and Pullinger, 1944). 

The threshold amount of mustard vapor required to produce a skin lesion (erythema) is a Ct of about 200 mg min/m. This varies greatly depending on a number of factors, including temperature, humidity, skin hydration, and body site. Warm, moist areas with thin skin, such as the perineum, external genitalia, axillae, antecubital fossae, and neck are much more sensitive. As stated earlier, a liquid droplet of about 10 pg will produce vesication. About 80% of this 10 pg evaporates and 10% enters the circulation, leaving about 10%, 1 pg, to cause the vesicle. Evaporation of small droplets is rapid and nearly complete in 2-3 min amounts larger than several hundred mithgrams may remain on the skin for several hours (Renshaw, 1946). 

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