Sponsor.: U.S. Department of Defense

Toxicologic Assessment of the Army's Zinc Cadmium Sulfide Dispersion Tests

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.

Due to the Existence of large stocks of chemical-warfare (CW) agents, their easy producibility from ordinary industrial chemicals, and their potential lethal effects, there is a critical need to determine as precisely as possible the exposure levels at which CW agents cause toxic effects. This information could aid in protecting soldiers in the event of a CW attack.

This report, by the Subcommittee on Toxicity Values for Selected Nerve and Vesicant Agents of the National Research Council's Committee on Toxicology, is intended to assist the U.S. Army by assessing the scientific validity of existing human-toxicity estimates for several CW agents. The estimates considered in this report were proposed recently in the Army's Chemical Defense Equipment Process Action Team (CDEPAT) report entitled Review of Existing Toxicity Data and Human Estimates for Selected Chemical Agents and Recommended Human Toxicity Estimates Appropriate for Defending the Soldier (1994). The report was authored by S.A. Reutter, Ph.D., and W.A. Wade, D.V.M.; it is classified ''secret" and can be obtained only with permission from the director of the U.S. Army Edgewood Research, Engineering and Development Center, Edgewood, Md.

We gratefully acknowledge Carl Curling, Jerry Glasow, William

Klenke, Francis O'Donnell, Forrest Oliverson, Gerald Palmer, Sharon Reutter, Harry Salem, and Sandra Thomson (all from the U.S. Army) for providing background information. We also thank Gail Charnley (Commission on Risk Assessment and Risk Management) and Annetta Watson (Oak Ridge National Laboratory) for making presentations to the subcommittee and providing useful information.

We are grateful for the assistance of the National Research Council staff in preparing this 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; Ruth E. Crossgrove, editor; Lucy V. Fusco, project assistant, and Catherine M. Kubik, senior program assistant. We especially wish to recognize the major contributions of the project director, Kulbir S. Bakshi, who directed the preparation of the subcommittee's report. His knowledge of the scientific and technical literature and his tireless efforts to obtain information and to organize the study plan, the subcommittee meetings, and the subcommittee's report aided in the successful completion of the project.

Finally, we would like to thank all the members of the subcommittee for their dedicated efforts throughout the development of this report.