Chemistry and Toxicology of Water Treated with Hypochlorite to Detoxify Chemical Agent VX

摘要

Measurements on reaction mixtures of hypochlorite with VX at pH 7 indicated formation of one or more products with anticholinesterase (aC) activity. However, the increases in aC activity of these mixtures were less than the 1.5- to 2-fold enhancements reported by earlier investigators. Hydrogen ion, acetone, formaldehyde, and N,N-diisopropylformamide were identified as products; and the reaction rates indicated that more than one reaction pathway was involved. Hypochlorite, at the concentrations used, did not itself have detectable aC activity. Reaction mixtures with initial molar ratios of hypochlorite to VX at 0.2, 1.0. and 3.0 were also tested in rats. After 60 minutes of reaction, intravenous injection of these mixtures had the same inhibitory effect on the cholinesterase activity in rat erythrocytes as untreated VX, even after 24% of the VX had been destroyed. Other toxic symptoms were similar to those found with untreated VX. Despite evidence for the formation of intermediates with aC activity, treatment of VX solutions with excess hypochlorite was capable of destroying all the aC activity.