title: Anaerobic toxicity and biodegradability of hydrolysis products of chemical warfare agents.
abstract: The toxicity and biodegradability of the main hydrolysis products of chemical warfare agents were investigated under methanogenic conditions. Among the tested substances, only MPhA does not have any toxic effect with regard to the aceticlastic methanogenic activity. The toxicity of other compounds varied between moderate (TDG, mercaptoethanol) to strong (ethanolamine, diisobutyl ester of MPhA). Biodegradability tests showed that all the products of chemical detoxification of mustard gas (ethanolamine, ethylene glycol, TDG, mercaptoethanol) can be biomineralized under methanogenic conditions. On the contrary, phosphorus-containing compounds from the chemical detoxification of nerve warfare agents (Sarin, Soman, Vx-gases) are quite persistent under these conditions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Enzymology, Chemistry Faculty, M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia.
authors.forename: V I
authors.initials: VI
authors.lastname: Sklyar
authors.forename: T P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Mosolova
authors.forename: I A
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Kucherenko
authors.forename: N N
authors.initials: NN
authors.lastname: Degtyarova
authors.forename: S D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Varfolomeyev
authors.forename: S V
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Kalyuzhnyi
mesh_terms: D001421:Bacteria, Anaerobic / Q000378:metabolism*; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D002619:Chemical Warfare Agents / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000633:toxicity; D006868:Hydrolysis
chemical_list: D002619:Chemical Warfare Agents