Laboratory conditions and safety in a chemical warfare agent analysis and research laboratory

Military Medicine, Aug 2002 by Karayilanoglu, Turan

Toxic chemicals have been used as weapons of war and also as means of terrorist attacks on civilian populations. Research focusing on chemical warfare agents (CWAs) may be associated with an increased risk of exposure to and contamination by these agents. This article summarizes some of the regulations concerning designation and safety in a CWA analysis and research laboratory and medical countermeasures in case of an accidental exposure. The design of such a laboratory, coupled with a set of safety guidelines, provides for the safe conduct of research and studies involving CWAs. Thus, a discussion of decontamination and protection means against CWAs is also presented.

Introduction

The Chemical Weapons Convention, signed by more than 130 participants in Paris in January 1993, entered into force in January 1995. To create confidence in the analytical results under the Chemical Weapons Convention, the standardization of equipment and procedures should be established.

The analytical procedures can be conducted to perform (1) screening and preliminary identification of the chemicals, (2) confirmation of the preliminary identification, (3) elucidation of the structures of unknown agents, (4) quantitation of well-defined agents, and (5) research activities covering all of these analytical procedures. These procedures should be followed by competent technicians and investigators familiar with the basic principles of analytical methods and working in a well-equipped laboratory.1

Chemical warfare agents (CWAs) under analysis and research have some their own specifications requiring a different approach. Sampling, sample preparation, cleaning of glassware, handling of the samples, transport of the samples, analytical conditions, protective measures, decontamination and antidotal therapy, and casualty management need to be specialized for these toxic warfare substances. Thus, laboratory safety rules and other instructions are to be strictly obeyed during studies performed in a CWA analysis and research laboratory (CWAARL).1

Overview of CWAs

CWAs are toxic substances that are capable of producing incapacitation, serious injury, and death. They may be used either on the battlefield or in a terrorist attack.2

These agents can be classified according to their mechanisms: (1) nerve agents (tabun, sarin, soman, VX): (2) vesicants (sulfur mustard, lewisite); (3) choking agents (chlorine, phosgene); (4) cyanides (hydrogen and cyanogen chloride); (5) incapacitants (3-quinoclinidinyl benzoate, lysergic acid diethylamide); (6) riot-control agents (lacrimators and vomiting agent); and (7) herbicides (cacodylic acid, picloram).

Chemical agents, like all other substances, may exist as solids, liquids, or gases, depending on temperature and pressure. Chemical agents in preparations and military munitions are generally liquids. After detonation of the container, the agent is primarily dispersed as liquid or an aerosol, so a collection of very small solid particles or liquid droplets can be suspended in gas.2

For many years, attention has centered on chemical compounds with a military application. The need for research concerning CWAs has also posed a potential risk to scientists and toxicologists of a laboratory accident. However, given the physical properties of the agents listed in Table I, reducing potential risks is a great concern.2

Designation and Safety in a CWAARL

Designation

A research laboratory assigned to study chemical weapons is designed to support a variety of chemical activities involving hazardous materials. In such a laboratory, chemical waste storage should be controlled, techniques for handling and storage of chemical toxins and decontamination facilities should be well defined and controlled, and protective systems, including personal protective devices, should be established.3

The features of a laboratory designed to accommodate the safe handling and working with CWAs and like substances are described below.

Working Area

The laboratory room should be separated from other working areas. The CWAARL has to consist of three main areas: a dressing room, an enter room, and the main laboratory. Because the majority of studies in the laboratory are performed in containment devices, personnel usually do not take off their everyday clothes; rather, they wear protective laboratory suits and masks. The main laboratory area contains general working space, special containment devices, auxiliary instrumentation, and storage areas. There should also be at least two large observation windows. The location of the observation windows should allow researchers inside the laboratory to be in view of a coworker outside.

Additionally, an interlaboratory communication system, which is always to be on when studies are being performed, permits convenient communication among laboratory personnel working inside and outside the main laboratory.4 Laboratory bench space, eye wash stations, emergency showers, fire extinguishers, gas connection, a glove box, a gas chromatography area, a high performance liquid chromatography apparatus, and a fume hood should also be available in the laboratory area.3