Sponsor: U.S. Army

Carcinogens and Anticarcinogens in the Human Diet: A Comparison of Naturally Occurring and Synthetic Substances (1996)

Upstream: Salmon and Society in the Pacific Northwest (1996)

Science and the Endangered Species Act (1995)

Wetlands: Characteristics and Boundaries (1995)

Biologic Markers (Urinary Toxicology (1995), Immunotoxicology (1992), Environmental Neurotoxicology (1992), Pulmonary Toxicology (1989), Reproductive Toxicology (1989))

Review of EPA's Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (three reports, 1994-1995)

Science and Judgment in Risk Assessment (1994)

Ranking Hazardous Waste Sites for Remedial Action (1994)

Pesticides in the Diets of Infants and Children (1993)

Issues in Risk Assessment (1993)

Setting Priorities for Land Conservation (1993)

Protecting Visibility in National Parks and Wilderness Areas (1993)

Dolphins and the Tuna Industry (1992)

Hazardous Materials on the Public Lands (1992)

Science and the National Parks (1992)

Animals as Sentinels of Environmental Health Hazards (1991)

Assessment of the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Studies Program, Volumes I-IV (1991-1993)

Human Exposure Assessment for Airborne Pollutants (1991)

Monitoring Human Tissues for Toxic Substances (1991)

Rethinking the Ozone Problem in Urban and Regional Air Pollution (1991)

Decline of the Sea Turtles (1990)

Tracking Toxic Substances at Industrial Facilities (1990)

Copies of these reports may be ordered from the National Academy Press

(800) 624-6242

(202) 334-3313

Toxicity of Military Smokes and Obscurants, Volume 1 (1997)

Toxicity of Alternatives to Chlorofluorocarbons: HFC-134a and HCFC-123 (1996)

Permissible Exposure Levels for Selected Military Fuel Vapors (1996)

Spacecraft Maximum Allowable Concentrations for Selected Airborne Contaminants, Volume 1 (1994), Volume 2 (1996), and Volume 3 (1996)

Nitrate and Nitrite in Drinking Water (1995)

Guidelines for Chemical Warfare Agents in Military Field Drinking Water (1995)

Review of the U.S. Naval Medical Research Institute's Toxicology Program (1994)

Health Effects of Permethrin-Impregnated Army Battle-Dress Uniforms (1994)

Health Effects of Ingested Fluoride (1993)

Guidelines for Developing Community Emergency Exposure Levels for Hazardous Substances (1993)

Guidelines for Developing Spacecraft Maximum Allowable Concentrations for Space Station Contaminants (1992)

Review of the U.S. Army Environmental Hygiene Agency Toxicology Division (1991)

Permissible Exposure Levels and Emergency Exposure Guidance Levels for Selected Airborne Contaminants (1991)

The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Bruce Alberts is president of the National Academy of Sciences.

The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. William A. Wulf is president of the National Academy of Engineering.

The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Kenneth I. Shine is president of the Institute of Medicine.

The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy's purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Bruce Alberts and Dr. William A. Wulf are chairman and vice chairman, respectively, of the National Research Council.

DURINGTHE 1950s and 1960s, the U.S. Army conducted dispersion tests using particles of zinc cadmium sulfide (ZnCdS) as a nonbiologic simulant of biologic-warfare agents in a number of urban and rural locations in the United States and Canada. This report, by the Subcommittee on Zinc Cadmium Sulfide of the National Research Council's Committee on Toxicology, is intended to assist the Army and the U.S. Congress in their efforts to determine whether exposure to ZnCdS particles adversely affected the health of persons living in the areas where the dispersion tests were conducted. The report independently reviews the available toxicity data on ZnCdS and its components cadmium and zinc, assesses human exposures to ZnCdS, and characterizes the risk to people exposed to it through the Army's dispersion tests.

The subcommittee was greatly assisted by several persons who provided information on the Army's ZnCdS dispersion tests and toxicity data on ZnCdS and its components. The subcommittee gratefully wishes to acknowledge William Barnett, Amy Birks, Leslie Burger, John Doesberg, Dennis Druck, Frederick Erdtman, Robert M. Gum, Bernard Ingold, Jeffrey Kirkpatrick, Francis O'Donnell, Forrest Oliverson, John Riggs, and Carmen J. Spencer—all of the U.S. Army—for their interest in and support of the project, as well as Amy S. Adair, Kenneth R. Boley, Monica Chavez, Cathy M. Collier, Marjorie A. Duske, Michael Erlandson, Christine Hawk, Thomas C. Keller, John L. Less, Derek D. Lick, Dobie O. McArthur, and Jennifer M. Tisdale—of the staff of the U.S. Congress. We are grateful to Edmund Crouch of Cambridge Environmental, Inc.,

for reviewing the Army's data on the ZnCdS dispersion tests and for estimating the doses and concentrations of ZnCdS particles. We are also grateful to Sheila Fabiano (USR Optronix), Terry Gordon (New York University Medical Center), Gunter Oberdörster (University of Rochester), and Bruce Parkinson (University of Colorado), for making presentations or providing material to the subcommittee. The subcommittee also wishes to thank the several hundred persons who took the time and made the effort to meet with or present material to the subcommittee at the public meetings.

As chair of the subcommittee, I am grateful for the assistance of the National Research Council staff in the preparation of the report. Staff members who contributed to this effort are Paul Gilman, executive director of the Commission on Life Sciences; James J. Reisa, director of the Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology; Carol A. Maczka, program director for toxicology and risk assessment; Diane J. Mundt and Erin M. Bell of the Medical Follow-up Agency, Institute of Medicine; Jamie E. Young, Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology; Norman Grossblatt, editor; Susan N.J. Pang, research associate; Ruth E. Crossgrove, staff associate; and Lucy V. Fusco, project assistant. I especially wish to recognize the major contributions of the project director, Kulbir S. Bakshi, who exhaustively studied the literature and drafted several sections of the report. He worked tirelessly to obtain information, and he organized the study plan, the subcommittee and public meetings, the special presentations, and this final report.

Finally, I would like to thank all the members of the subcommittee (who worked without compensation in public service) for their expertise and dedicated effort throughout the development of this report. The members of the subcommittee represented an unusually diverse set of disciplines, from laboratory scientists to epidemiologists to risk-communication experts. Despite this diversity, which was essential for consideration of the many issues involved in the problem we were addressing, the members worked together in a highly effective manner. Discussions were open, honest, and vigorous. For the untiring efforts of these dedicated people, I am sincerely grateful!

Rogene F. Henderson, PhD

Chair, Subcommittee on Zinc Cadmium Sulfide and Chair, Committee on Toxicology

TOXICOLOGIC ASSESSMENT OF THE ARMY'S ZINC CADMIUM SULFIDE DISPERSION TESTS