Medical Aspects of Chemical Warfare (2008) - The Black Vault

Medical Aspects of Chemical WarfareTable 10-3 continuedReproduced from: US Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine. Industrial Chemical Prioritization and Determination ofCritical Hazards of Concern. Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md: USACHPPM; 2003: Appendix B. USACHPPM Report 47-EM-6154-03.may occur in industrial processes associated with mining,crude oil refining, tanning, farming, paper pulpmills, sewage treatment, and rubber production. It isalso a component of natural gas, a major component ofvolcanic eruptions, and a major airborne hazard in animalconfinement areas. H 2S is nearly as toxic as HCNand acts almost as rapidly. It is responsible for moredeaths than any other gas. 17 Case reports indicate thatexposure can cause neurological symptoms, with focalnecrosis of the brain implicated in a fatal outcome. 18Environmental release of H 2S can cause breathlessnessand eye and nasopharyngeal irritation. 19 Reiffensteinet al 20 have provided an early review of H 2S reportingthat the typical “rotten-egg” odor is inadequate warningof short-term exposures to high levels, which cancause an inability to smell the gas (olfactory paralysis),among other adverse health effects.Oxides of nitrogen come in four stable forms: (1)nitrogen oxide (N 2O), an anesthetic compound, and(2) nitric oxide (NO), an important byproduct of intracellularbiochemical nitrogen metabolism, whichalso forms (3) nitrogen dioxide (NO 2) and (4) nitrogentetroxide (N 2O 4) when oxidized in air. Oxides ofnitrogen are important reactive end products of airpollution. The reactive dioxide form is a pulmonary irritantthat can be found in fresh silage from agriculturalprocesses preserving green crops such as alfalfa andcorn (silo-filler’s disease), in unventilated areas with344