Demonstration of spread-on peel-off consumer products for sampling surfaces contaminated with pesticides and chemical warfare agent signatures.
A terrorist attack using toxic chemicals is an international concern. The utility of rubber cement and latex body paint as spray-on/spread-on peel-off collection media for signatures attributable to pesticides and chemical warfare agents from interior building and public transportation surfaces two weeks post-deposition is demonstrated. The efficacy of these media to sample escalator handrail, stainless steel, vinyl upholstery fabric, and wood flooring is demonstrated for two pesticides and eight chemicals related to chemical warfare agents. The chemicals tested are nicotine, parathion, atropine, diisopropyl methylphosphonate, dimethyl methylphosphonate, dipinacolyl methylphosphonate, ethyl methylphosphonic acid, isopropyl methylphosphonic acid, methylphosphonic acid, and thiodiglycol. Amounts of each chemical found are generally greatest when latex body paint is used. Analytes with low volatility and containing an alkaline nitrogen or a sulfur atom (e.g., nicotine and parathion) usually are recovered to a greater extent than the neutral phosphonate diesters and acidic phosphonic acids (e.g., dimethyl methylphosphonate and ethyl methylphosphonic acid).
CBRNE Defense, Battelle Memorial Institute, 505 King Avenue, Columbus, OH 43201, USA.
Deborah L
DL
Behringer
CBRNE Defense, Battelle Memorial Institute, 505 King Avenue, Columbus, OH 43201, USA.
Deborah L
DL
Smith
CBRNE Defense, Battelle Memorial Institute, 505 King Avenue, Columbus, OH 43201, USA.
Vanessa R
VR
Katona
CBRNE Defense, Battelle Memorial Institute, 505 King Avenue, Columbus, OH 43201, USA.
Alan T
AT
Lewis
CBRNE Defense, Battelle Memorial Institute, 505 King Avenue, Columbus, OH 43201, USA.
Laura A
LA
Hernon-Kenny
CBRNE Defense, Battelle Memorial Institute, 505 King Avenue, Columbus, OH 43201, USA. Electronic address: crenshaw@battelle.org.
Michael D
MD
Crenshaw
D002619:Chemical Warfare Agents / Q000032:analysis*; D003252:Construction Materials; D004866:Equipment Contamination; D006801:Humans; D007840:Latex; D010575:Pesticides / Q000032:analysis*; D012408:Rubber; D013048:Specimen Handling / Q000379:methods; D013499:Surface Properties
D002619:Chemical Warfare Agents; D007840:Latex; D010575:Pesticides; D012408:Rubber
Building materials; Chemical warfare agents; Latex body paint; Pesticides; Rubber cement; Surface sampling