title: Toxicity and medical countermeasure studies on the organophosphorus nerve agents VM and VX.
abstract: To support the effort to eliminate the Syrian Arab Republic chemical weapons stockpile safely, there was a requirement to provide scientific advice based on experimentally derived information on both toxicity and medical countermeasures (MedCM) in the event of exposure to VM, VX or VM-VX mixtures. Complementaryin vitroandin vivostudies were undertaken to inform that advice. The penetration rate of neat VM was not significantly different from that of neat VX, through either guinea pig or pig skinin vitro. The presence of VX did not affect the penetration rate of VM in mixtures of various proportions. A lethal dose of VM was approximately twice that of VX in guinea pigs poisoned via the percutaneous route. There was no interaction in mixed agent solutions which altered thein vivotoxicity of the agents. Percutaneous poisoning by VM responded to treatment with standard MedCM, although complete protection was not achieved.
authors.affiliation: Biomedical Sciences Department , Dstl Porton Down , Salisbury SP4 0JQ, UK.
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rice
authors.affiliation: Biomedical Sciences Department , Dstl Porton Down , Salisbury SP4 0JQ, UK.
authors.forename: Christopher H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Dalton
authors.affiliation: Biomedical Sciences Department , Dstl Porton Down , Salisbury SP4 0JQ, UK.
authors.forename: Matthew E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Price
authors.affiliation: Biomedical Sciences Department , Dstl Porton Down , Salisbury SP4 0JQ, UK.
authors.forename: Stuart J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Graham
authors.affiliation: Biomedical Sciences Department , Dstl Porton Down , Salisbury SP4 0JQ, UK.
authors.forename: A Christopher
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Green
authors.affiliation: Biomedical Sciences Department , Dstl Porton Down , Salisbury SP4 0JQ, UK.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jenner
authors.affiliation: Detection Department , Dstl Porton Down , Salisbury SP4 0JQ, UK.
authors.forename: Helen J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Groombridge
authors.affiliation: Detection Department , Dstl Porton Down , Salisbury SP4 0JQ, UK.
authors.forename: Christopher M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Timperley
keywords: VM; VX; chemical weapons; nerve agent; percutaneous penetration