Health Risk Assessment for Sulfur Mustard (HD)(From Review of the U.S. Army's Health Risk Assessments for Oral Exposure to Six Chemical-Warfare Agents, P 237-273, 1999, Ruth E. Crossgrove, ed., -- See NCJ-190887)

• NCJ Number: 190899
• Author(s): Dennis M. Opresko; Rosmarie Faust
• Date Published: 1999
• Length: 37 pages
• Corporate Author: Oak Ridge National Laboratory Life Science Division
• Sale Source: National Academies Press
• Publication Format: Book (Softbound)
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This report assesses the potential noncancer and cancer effects of sulfur mustard (HD).

Abstract

Pure sulfur mustard (HD) is a colorless, odorless, oily liquid. The vapor pressure indicates moderate volatility. Sulfur mustard can be very persistent in soil. Persistence depends on the soil type, pH, moisture content, and whether the agent is at the soil surface or buried. Sulfur mustard vesicants are acutely toxic by direct contact. Edema, ulceration, and necrosis of the skin and respiratory tract epithelium can occur, as well as conjunctivitis and blindness. Acute exposures can result in skin and eye damage, gastrointestinal irritation, and depressed myelopoiesis (resulting in leukopenia and anemia). Damage to the respiratory tract, which is the principal cause of mortality in the first few days to weeks after exposure, involves acute edema, inflammation, and destruction of the airway lining. Infection of the respiratory tract resulting in bronchopneumonia is a common complication of exposure to sulfur mustard. Chronic exposure to sulfur mustard can cause sensitization and chronic lung impairment (cough, shortness of breath, chest pain); however, specific information on dose-response functions for these effects were not found in the available literature. Acute exposures to sulfur mustard can also result in long-term respiratory damage manifested as asthma-like conditions, bronchitis, and increases in incidence of secondary respiratory infections. Because sulfur mustard is a strong DNA alkylating agent, genotixic effects occur. Some of these conditions have been observed in humans, others in various test systems including bacteria, yeast, insects, and mammalian cell cultures. Because it is known to be a strong and direct DNA agent, the likelihood is very high that it functions as a non-threshold carcinogen. Although human and animal data were lacking, there was indirect evidence suggesting that sulfur mustard might be carcinogenic by the oral exposure route. 8 tables and 82 references