The toxicology and treatment of chemical warfare agents have been reviewed recently in Marrs, T. C.; Maynard, R. L.; Sidell, F. R.,
Chemical Warfare Agents: Toxicology and Treatment, John Wiley and Sons: Chichester, 1996.
Toxicological properties and clinical signs/symptoms of exposure to the following
nerve agents are summarized:
Toxicological properties and clinical signs/symptoms of exposure to the following vesicant agents are summarized:
Various indices of toxicity are used to convey the hazard associated with exposure to a chemical. These include:
- LD 50 (median lethal dose) is the dose of a chemical that would be expected to kill 50 percent of an exposed group of animals of the same species; it is typically expressed in units of mg kg -1 body weight.
- LCt 50 is the concentration of a chemical encountered in the vapor phase that would be expected to kill 50 percent of a group of animals of the same species exposed for a specified period of time; it is typically expressed as the product of the chemical’s concentration in air (mg m -3) and the duration of exposure (min) and thus is typically expressed in units of mg min m -3.
- ED 50 is the dose of a chemical that would be expected to cause a defined effect in 50 percent of an exposed group of animals of the same species; it is typically expressed in units of mg kg -1 body weight.
- ECt 50 is the concentration of a chemical encountered in the vapor phase that would be expected to cause a defined effect in 50 percent of a group of animals of the same species exposed for a specified period of time; it is typically expressed as the product of the chemical’s concentration in air (mg m -3) and the duration of exposure (min) and thus is typically expressed in units of mg min m -3.
- ICt 50 (median incapacitating concentration) is the concentration of a chemical encountered in the vapor phase that would be expected to incapacitate 50 percent of a population exposed for a specified period of time; it is typically expressed as the product of the chemical’s concentration in air (mg m -3) and the duration of exposure (min) and thus is typically expressed in units of mg min m -3.
- TD LO (lowest toxic dose) is the lowest dose of a chemical reported to cause an observable toxic effect in test animals.
The toxicity of a chemical can depend on the route of exposure. Common routes of exposure include:
- Percutaneous – Absorption of a substance through the skin.
- Intravenous – Injection of a substance into a vein.
- Inhalation – Delivery of a substance via the lungs.
- Oral – Delivery of a substance via the mouth.
- Subcutaneous – Injection of a substance beneath the skin but above the underlying layers of tissue.