Toxicity of a Biodegraded Chemical Warfare Agent (Mustard) to Aquatic Organisms

摘要

The U.S. Army Edgewood Research, Development and Engineering Center (ERDEC) has investigated an alternative method for disposing of sulfur mustard (2,2'-dichlorodiethyl sulfide, HD), a chemical warfare agent under the chemical stockpile disposal program. The mineralization of HD through hot water hydrolysis followed by biodegradation in sequencing batch bioreactors has been demonstrated to be an effective technology. Aquatic toxicity assays were conducted on hydrolyzed HD and compared to bioreactor effluent using Daphnia magna (water flea), Artemia Salina (brine shrimp), Vibrio Fischeri (marine chemoluminesent bacteria), Cyprinodon Variegatus (sheephead minnow), Pimephales Promelas (fathead minnow), and biomass from a waste water treatment facility. The results were used to determine if hydrolysis followed by biodegration would be an alternate method for safely and economically disposing of (HD).