Evaluation of Diethyl Malonate as a Simulant for 1,2,2,-Trimethylpropyl Methylphosphonofluoridate (Soman) in Shower Decontamination of the Skin

摘要

A shower decontamination bench model has been used to assess quantitatively the importance of several variables (water pressure and temperature, surfactant concentration in the decontamination fluid, nozzle type and shower time) on decontamination of nontoxic chemical warfare agent simulants diethyl malonate and thickened diethyl malonate from pig skin in vitro. Diethyl malonate was validated as a simulant for soman by comparison of the skin penetration and decontamination of radiolabeled diethyl malonate to radiolabeled soman in shower decontamination trials of pig skin in vitro. Percutaneous penetration diethyl malonate was significantly greater than that of soman during the fifteen minute period after application. However, both were less than 0.1% of the applied dose. Showering or thickener had no significant effect on the percutaneous penetration of diethyl malonate or soman. Most of the soman removed by showering or scrubbing the was was inactivated. The quantity of intact soman that penetrated through the skin was below the detection limit of the enzymatic analysis. There was no statistically significant difference between soman and diethyl malonate in efficacy of shower decontamination. The presence of thickener did not have a significant effect on decontamination efficacy.