A method for correlating skin exposure to S-mustard vapor with skin damage.

An experimental procedure is described as a means for assessing the efficiency of skin-protecting measures against the vapors of hazardous substances. Bis(2-chloroethyl)sulfide (S-mustard) is used as the test substance. A continuous flow of S-mustard vapor is conducted through an exposure cell which is attached to the inner side of a rabbit's ear. From the difference in the concentrations measured before and behind the exposure cell, the absorption and the permeation rate of mustard into the skin is calculated. The skin damage, consisting of a reversible erythema, is quantified by measuring the optical transmittance of the exposed skin area during the following days and correlated with the respective absorption (dose) and exposure parameters (ct-product, with c = 3-50 ng/cm3 and t = 60 and 120 min). Reversible, i.e., completely healing, erythema are evoked by ct-products in the range of 250-2000 ng.min/cm3 corresponding to doses from about 0.1 to 1.1 micrograms/cm2. A comparison with older data reveals that human skin, in this respect, is about eight times more sensitive than the inner side of the rabbit's ear.

The protective effect of oxime pretreatment upon the inhalative toxicity of sarin and soman in rats.

The functional set-up of a static inhalation device is described. The closed system consists of a reservoir for the circulating test gas, an inhalator for "nose-only" exposure of 10 rats, and analyzers for the test gas and CO2. It has an overall volume of 200 liters. The following LCt50 values for rats exposed to noxious vapors were determined: DFP 3629, sarin 191, and soman 211 mg X min X m-3. Pretreatment with atropine (10 mg/kg) together with the oximes Toxogonin or HJ6 (each 13 mg/kg) 10 min before the exposure raised the LCt50 of sarin by a factor of 2.5 and 14, respectively. In case of soman poisoning, only HJ6 (50 mg/kg) together with atropine was effective, which increased the LCt50 by a factor of 7.