Handbook of Chemical and Biological Warfare Agents,

Volume 1 Military Chemical and Toxic Industrial Agents - 3rd

Edition

Visit the link below to download the full version of this book:

https://homemader.com/shop/handbook-of-chemical-and-biological-warfare-agents-vo
lume-1-military-chemical-and-toxic-industrial-agents-3rd-edition/

Click Download Now

 Handbook of Chemical and
Biological Warfare Agents,
Volume 1
Military Chemical and Toxic Industrial Agents

Third Edition

D. Hank Ellison
Third edition published 2022
6000 Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300, Boca Raton, FL 33487-2742
and by CRC Press
4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN
CRC Press is an imprint of Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
© 2022 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
First edition published by CRC Press 1999
Second edition published by CRC Press 2007
Reasonable efforts have been made to publish reliable data and information, but the author and publisher
cannot assume responsibility for the validity of all materials or the consequences of their use. The authors and
publishers have attempted to trace the copyright holders of all material reproduced in this publication and
apologize to copyright holders if permission to publish in this form has not been obtained. If any copyright
material has not been acknowledged please write and let us know so we may rectify in any future reprint.
Except as permitted under U.S. Copyright Law, no part of this book may be reprinted, reproduced, transmitted,
or utilized in any form by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented,
including photocopying, microfilming, and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system,
without written permission from the publishers.
For permission to photocopy or use material electronically from this work, access www.copyright.com or
contact the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc. (CCC), 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978-750-
8400. For works that are not available on CCC please contact [email protected]
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks and are used only
for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.

ISBN: 978-1-032-13723-0 (hbk)

ISBN: 978-1-032-14892-2 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-003-23057-1 (ebk)

DOI: 10.4324/9781003230571

Typeset in Times
by MPS Limited, Dehradun
Contents
Preface...............................................................................................................................................ix
Acknowledgements...........................................................................................................................xi
Explanatory Notes ...........................................................................................................................xv
Author ............................................................................................................................................xxv

Nerve Agents

Chapter 1 Organophosphorus Nerve Agents ...............................................................................3

General Information ....................................................................................................3
Toxicology ...................................................................................................................5
Characteristics..............................................................................................................6
Additional Hazards ......................................................................................................9
Protection ................................................................................................................... 11
Medical ......................................................................................................................17
Fatality Management .................................................................................................19
Bibliography ............................................................................................................148

Chapter 2 Carbamate Nerve Agents ........................................................................................153

General Information ................................................................................................ 153
Toxicology ...............................................................................................................153
Characteristics.......................................................................................................... 154
Additional Hazards ..................................................................................................155
Protection ................................................................................................................. 156
Medical .................................................................................................................... 158
Fatality Management ............................................................................................... 159
Bibliography ............................................................................................................199

Vesicant/Urticant Agents

Chapter 3 Sulfur and Nitrogen Vesicants................................................................................203

General Information ................................................................................................ 203
Toxicology ...............................................................................................................203
Characteristics.......................................................................................................... 205
Additional Hazards ..................................................................................................207
Protection ................................................................................................................. 208
Medical .................................................................................................................... 212
Fatality Management ............................................................................................... 214
Bibliography ............................................................................................................257

v
vi Contents

Chapter 4 Arsenic Vesicants ....................................................................................................261

General Information ................................................................................................ 261
Toxicology ...............................................................................................................261
Characteristics.......................................................................................................... 262
Additional Hazards ..................................................................................................263
Protection ................................................................................................................. 264
Medical .................................................................................................................... 267
Fatality Management ............................................................................................... 269
Bibliography ............................................................................................................276

Chapter 5 Urticants................................................................................................................... 279

General Information ................................................................................................ 279
Toxicology ...............................................................................................................279
Characteristics.......................................................................................................... 280
Additional Hazards ..................................................................................................281
Protection ................................................................................................................. 282
Medical .................................................................................................................... 284
Fatality Management ............................................................................................... 286
Bibliography ............................................................................................................288

Toxic Agents

Chapter 6 Bicyclophosphate Convulsants................................................................................293

General Information ................................................................................................ 293
Toxicology ...............................................................................................................293
Characteristics.......................................................................................................... 294
Additional Hazards ..................................................................................................294
Protection ................................................................................................................. 295
Medical .................................................................................................................... 297
Fatality Management ............................................................................................... 298
Bibliography ............................................................................................................301

Chapter 7 COX-Inhibiting Blood Agents ................................................................................303

General Information ................................................................................................ 303
Toxicology ...............................................................................................................303
Characteristics.......................................................................................................... 304
Additional Hazards ..................................................................................................305
Protection ................................................................................................................. 307
Medical .................................................................................................................... 309
Fatality Management ............................................................................................... 311
Bibliography ............................................................................................................319

Chapter 8 Arsine Blood Agents ............................................................................................... 323

General Information ................................................................................................ 323
Toxicology ...............................................................................................................323
Contents vii

Characteristics.......................................................................................................... 323
Additional Hazards ..................................................................................................324
Protection ................................................................................................................. 325
Medical .................................................................................................................... 327
Fatality Management ............................................................................................... 328
Bibliography ............................................................................................................331

Chapter 9 Carbon Monoxide Blood Agents ............................................................................333

General Information ................................................................................................ 333
Toxicology ...............................................................................................................333
Characteristics.......................................................................................................... 334
Additional Hazards ..................................................................................................335
Protection ................................................................................................................. 336
Medical .................................................................................................................... 337
Fatality Management ............................................................................................... 339
Bibliography ............................................................................................................341

Chapter 10 Pulmonary Agents ...................................................................................................343

General Information ................................................................................................ 343
Toxicology ...............................................................................................................343
Characteristics.......................................................................................................... 344
Additional Hazards ..................................................................................................345
Protection ................................................................................................................. 346
Medical .................................................................................................................... 348
Fatality Management ............................................................................................... 349
Bibliography ............................................................................................................363

Chapter 11 Toxic Industrial Agents...........................................................................................365

General Information ................................................................................................365
Toxicology ...............................................................................................................365
Protection ................................................................................................................. 366
Medical .................................................................................................................... 368
Fatality Management ............................................................................................... 369
Bibliography ............................................................................................................523
Indices ...........................................................................................................................................525
Alphabetical Index of Chemical Names, Military Codes and Synonyms ..................526
Chemical Abstract Service (CAS) Numbers ..........................................................776
United Nations (UN) Numbers ...............................................................................791
European Inventory of Existing Commercial Chemical
Substances (EC) Numbers.......................................................................................793
U.S. Food and Drug Administration Unique Ingredient Identifiers (UNII) ..................796
11th Revision of the International Statistical Classification of
Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-11) Codes.......................................800

Index..............................................................................................................................................803
viii Contents

Volume 2 contains the following classes of agents and other information:

Chapter 12 Mind-Altering Agents

Chapter 13 Irritating/Lachrymatory Agents
Chapter 14 Vomiting/Sternatory Agents
Chapter 15 Malodorants
Chapter 16 Toxins
Chapter 17 Bacterial Pathogens
Chapter 18 Viral Pathogens
Chapter 19 Fungal Pathogens
Chapter 20 Bioregulators
Chapter 21 Non-vector Entomological Agents
Glossary
Appendices
A Agent delivery
B Summary of military chemical munitions markings
C Biological risk groups and biosafety levels
D International and U.S. domestic lists of agents
Index
Preface to Volume 1
The first edition of this handbook was written in 1999. At that time, it was one of only a few
resources available to the general public that addressed chemical and biological warfare agents in
detail. This is no longer the case. There are numerous books and papers that have been written on
virtually all aspect of these agents. Some are written for the average citizen while others are
specialized and directed toward a specific audience. Some are broad sweeping overviews with
minimal technical data, while others focus on topics such as toxicology, medical treatment, and
threat scenarios.
This handbook was originally written as an aid to first responders and meant to help bridge the
gap between what was known about responding to industrial hazardous materials, and responding
to events involving military chemical and biological agents. It was formatted to resemble two
classic resources recognized by virtually every responder working at a hazardous material incident:
The NIOSH Pocket Guide and the transportation Emergency Response Guidebook. This structure
gives rapid access to key information need by responders early in a response without
overwhelming them with inessential details. The second edition underwent a consolidation of
information along with a change in format that made it more succinct. The number of agents
identified was also greatly expanded.
This new edition retains the formatting changes made in the second edition. However, there have
been some changes in the identification of agent classes. In this current edition, two of the classes
from the second edition, bacterial and rickettsial pathogens, have been consolidated into a single class
in order to provide clarity and reflect current scientific taxonomy. Two new classes of biological
agents, bioregulators and non-vector entomological agents, have been added. The information
presented in every class detailed in this edition has been updated and expanded. There is also a
significant increase in the number of agents described, as well as in the number of components,
precursors and decomposition products. Individual entries contain more information on health
effects, and on the chemical, physical and biological properties of individual agents.
This volume also includes changes that correct the structure of the Novichok agents that was
misidentified in the second edition as having an oxime moiety. The oxime series has been retained as
a separate subclass, as those agents were also investigated for their possible utility as warfare agents.
The body of information in this new edition of the handbook exceeds a size that can comfortably
be handled in a single volume. Volume one of this edition contains those classes of military
chemical agents that were developed for their lethal effects as well as toxic industrial agents of
concern. Volume two contains chemicals that were developed as incapacitating agents or for use in
riot control situations, as well as all classes of biological pathogens and mid-spectrum agents. No
value or utility of the agents is implied in this grouping nor in the sequence that the classes are
presented in either volume.
All materials listed in this handbook have been used on the battlefield, stockpiled as weapons,
received significant interest by research programs, used or threatened to be used by terrorists, or
have been assessed by qualified law enforcement and response organizations as agents of
significant concern. In presenting this broad spectrum, I do not offer an evaluation of the efficacy
or viability of the agent classes or any of the individual agents. I have included agents classified by
the military as obsolete along with those that are still considered a potential threat on the
battlefield. It is important to remember that while an agent may have been a failure on the
battlefield, it could still be a very successful weapon in the hands of a terrorist. In order to assure
accuracy, all data has been cross checked over the widest variety of military, scientific and medical
sources available.
Information in this handbook is a compilation gathered from numerous sources and arranged
into the current format. In general, the most conservative recommendations have been incorporated

ix
x Preface to Volume 1

into each index. As with all hazardous materials and safety information, readers are encouraged to
evaluate as many sources as they can find in order to make the most informed decisions. Any use
of the information contained in this book must be determined by the user to be in accordance with
their standard operating procedures as well as applicable national, regional and local laws and
regulations.
Acknowledgements
I would especially like to thank Sarah for her input, comments and editing. She was able to clarify
what I mistakenly thought was obvious.
There are numerous other individuals who have provided comments, insights and suggestions,
on both of the previous editions as well as on the manuscript for this one. I appreciate them all. I
have tried to address each of them, and incorporated changes that I believe have improved this
edition. Any failures or omissions are mine and not due to a lack of vigilance or effort on the part
of others.

xi
The importance of information is directly proportional to its improbability.
- Fundamental Theorem of Information Theory

Any fool can know. The point is to understand.

- Albert Einstein

In your thirst for knowledge, be sure not to drown in all the information.
- Anthony J. D’Angelo

xiii
Explanatory Notes to Volume 1
Chemical agents are solids, liquids, or gases, which, through their chemical properties, produce
lethal or damaging effects in man, animals, plants or materials. Historically, the military has
divided chemical agents into categories based on the major physiological impact caused by the
agent or the target organ they attack. While useful on the battlefield, this classification system may
be misleading and confusing to civilian responders.
Biological agents can be grouped into two broad categories. The first involves living pathogens
that cause disease in man, animals, or plants. This group is usually subdivided based on the type of
pathogen involved (e.g., bacteria, viruses, fungi), and has some unique characteristics. These are
the only agents that can multiply in the environment with the amount of agent increasing over time.
They are also the only group in which secondary person-to-person transmission may be possible.
The second category of biological agents involves chemicals produced by living organisms that
can kill or incapacitate other living creatures. The two classes discussed in this handbook are toxins
and bioregulators (i.e., essential agents in the body that regulate and modulate a diverse set of key
physiological and psychological processes). These agents are often classified as mid-spectrum
agents – that is falling between the Chemical and Biological Weapon Conventions – because they
can be harvested from living organisms or produced synthetically in a laboratory.
In this handbook, information about the agents is divided into classes based primarily on the
common military groupings of chemical and biological agents. In instances where the divisions are
too broad to allow appropriate identification of the chemical or physiological properties of the
individual agents, additional classes are provided. There are also classes for nontraditional agents
that do not fit neatly into one of the common military groupings and for industrial materials that
could be used as improvised agents. Classes are identified by a number that corresponds to the first
21 chapters in this handbook (i.e., C01–C21). Classes contain general information about that
specific group of agents. While this book covers most of the major classes of chemical and
biological agents, it does not deal with anti-plant chemicals, anti-material agents, incendiary agents
or obscurants.
At the end of each class is detailed technical information about individual agents, components or
decomposition products within that class. Each of these individual materials is assigned a handbook
number to allow for rapid identification and cross referencing throughout the book. The first three
characters identify the agent class (e.g., C01). The letter following the hyphen (e.g., C01-A) indicates
that the materials is primarily considered an agent (A), component or precursor of that class of agents
(C), or is a significant decomposition product or impurity of that class of agents (D). The three digits that
follow the letter indicate the specific agent in the order that it appears in the class (e.g., C01-A001). In
some cases, handbook numbers only contain the first three characters (e.g., C01-A, C01-C, or C01-D)
indicating that the material is an agent, component, or decomposition product in that class of chemical
agents but there is insufficient data published on the physical, chemical or toxicological properties of
the material to generate an individual entry.
There are four appendices that provide information on methods used to deliver chemical and
biological agents, markings used to identify chemical munitions employed by various nations,
biological risk/biosafety levels, and international and U.S. domestic lists of agents. These
appendices are found at the end of volume 2.
There are six indices in this volume to allow easy access to specific agents in this handbook.
These indices are the Alphabetical Index of names, the Chemical Abstract Service (CAS) numbers
index, United Nations (UN) numbers index, European inventory of existing commercial chemical
substances (EC) numbers index, U.S. Food and Drug Administration unique ingredient identifiers
(UNII) index, and the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) index. There are four
additional indices in volume 2 that cross-reference biological agents and include the European and

xv
xvi Explanatory Notes to Volume 1

Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO) codes index, an index of viruses by their
taxonomic families, a cross index of vector and the diseases that they can carry, and a cross index
of agriculturally significant flora and fauna with the diseases that can impact them. All of the
indices contain synonyms and identifying numbers for the agents in this handbook that are cross-
referenced to the individual agents via the handbook number.
Information in classes for chemical agents is in the following general format:

General Information
Toxicology (effects, pathways and routes of exposure, general exposure hazards, latency period)
Characteristics (physical appearance/odor, stability, persistency, environmental fate)
Additional Hazards (exposure, livestock/pets, fire, reactivity, hazardous decomposition products)
Protection (evacuation recommendations, personal protective requirements, decontamination)
Medical (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) case definition, differential
diagnosis, signs and symptoms, mass-casualty triage recommendations, casualty
management, fatality management)

Information on the individual chemical agents is in the following general format:

Handbook Number
Name and reference numbers (CAS, RTECS, UN, ERG, EC, UNII, ICD-11)
Molecular structure and formula
Description of the agent
Additional information including mixtures with other agents, industrial uses, threat or treaty
listing
Exposure hazards
AEGLs status and exposure values
Properties

Decontamination information contained in the class indices is directed at minimizing the threat
during an emergency and may not be sufficient to allow unrestricted access by the general public.
Thorough sampling should be conducted to determine additional remediation requirements.
Levels of protection identified in this volume follow the convention of the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, which has established four basic levels for responding to hazardous material
emergencies. Each level has benefits and limitations for the responder.
Level A provides the highest level of skin, eye and respiratory protection. It is selected when the
hazardous material requires the highest level of protection; and there is a splash or vapor hazard
that will be harmful to the skin or the material may be absorbed through the skin causing
immediate serious injury or harm. Level A consist of a totally encapsulating suit and a supplied air
respirator (i.e., SCBA or airline).
Level B provides the highest level of respiratory protection but has some exposed skin. It is
selected when the hazardous material requires the highest level of protection, a totally
encapsulating suit is not necessary, and some areas of unprotected skin will not adversely affect
the responder. Level B consist of a supplied air respirator (i.e., SCBA or airline) and a chemical
protective suit.
Level C provides some degree of skin and respiratory protection. It is selected when the
hazardous material does not require the highest level of protection, a totally encapsulating suit is
not necessary, and some areas of unprotected skin will not adversely affect the responder. In
addition, the ambient oxygen level must be above 19.5% and, the identity as well as the
concentration of the hazardous material must be known and measurable in real time. Level C
consists of an air purifying respirator (i.e., on demand or powered) and a chemical protective suit.
Explanatory Notes to Volume 1 xvii

Level D provides the least protection from potential chemical exposure. It is selected when there
is no need for respiratory protection and minimal skin protection is needed. Level D may consist of
coveralls or a chemical protective suit with some form of eye (e.g., glasses, goggles, face shields),
hand (e.g., chemical resistant, abrasion or thermal protection) and foot protection.
Protective clothing can be made from any number of chemical resistant fabrics and must be
selected based the chemicals involved in the emergency and the potential for exposure. Selection
criteria include the possibility that chemical can degrade the protective fabric (i.e., physical
destruction or reduction in one or more of the physical properties of the chemical protective
clothing) or permeate through the fabric (i.e., process by which the hazardous material moves
through the chemical protective clothing on a molecular level). Proper design and construction of
the suit (e.g., splash guards, zipper covers, taped seams) is also essential to prevent penetration of
the chemical through zippers, stitched seams or imperfection in the ensemble.
Abbreviations used in identifying individual agents are listed below. For any given parameter, a
dash (i.e., —) means that the value is unavailable because it has not been determined or has not
been published. An “NA” designation means that the parameter is not applicable or does not apply
to that specific material. If the value of a parameter is an estimate, it is indicated by (est.).
CAS: Chemical Abstracts Service registry number. It is unique for each chemical without
inherent meaning that is assigned by the Chemical Abstracts Service, a division of the American
Chemical Society. It allows for efficient searching of computerized databases.
EC: a unique seven-digit identifier that was assigned to substances for regulatory purposes within
the European Union by the European Commission. These materials were in the European Inventory
of Existing Commercial chemical Substances, an inventory of chemicals that were deemed to be on
the European Community market between 1 January 1971 and 18 September 1981.
ICD-11: 11th Revision of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related
Health Problems. It is the international standard diagnostic classification for all general
epidemiological and many health management purposes.
RTECS: Registry of Toxic Effects of Chemical Substances number is a unique and unchanging
identifier used to cross reference the RTECS database, which is a compendium of data extracted
from the open scientific literature.
UN: United Nations identification number used in transportation of hazardous materials. If the
substance is only listed under a generic class or group of materials (e.g., UN 2810: Toxic Liquids.
Organic, N.O.S.), then it is not reported. The ERG: 2020 Emergency Response Guidebook number
is reported following the UN number. As in the Guidebook, the letter “P” following the guide
number indicates that the material has a significant risk of violent polymerization if not properly
stabilized.
UNII: U.S. Food and Drug Administration Unique Ingredient Identifier numbers are unique,
permanent identifiers for substances in regulated products for any material, and can from an atom
to an organism.
Unless otherwise indicated, civilian exposure hazards are for a standardized individual (i.e., a male
weighting 70 kg/154 lbs.) with a respiratory tidal volume of 15 liters/minute (i.e., resting). The
military, because of the expected greater physical activity level of deployed soldiers, uses a standard
20 liters/minute respiratory tidal volume for their exposure guidelines (see MEG below). Other
potential respiratory rates include walking (25 liters/minute), hard labor such as digging (60 liters/
minute) or jogging (75 liters/minute). If a different breathing rate is used, then it is indicated in
brackets. If temperature is a factor, then the critical values are indicated. The military typically
classifies moderate temperatures as 65°F to 85°F. Temperature above 85°F are classified as hot.
Exposure parameters described below that have not been determined or have not been published
for a specific material are not listed in those individual entries in this handbook. Older values of
individual parameters from historic manuals that have not been updated in more current literature,
are identified. In some cases, published toxicological endpoints allow relative comparisons to