objective(s) considering fair response to inhaled corticosteroids and reports of severe air way hyper responsiveness in chemical warfare victims (cwv), a role for eosinophilic inflammation (i.e. asthma) was postulated. the objective of this study was to determine the presence of eosinophilic inflammation in cwv by evaluation of sputum cellularity and eosinophil cationic protein (ecp). materials...

purpose: to determine any possible correlation between delayed ocular complications with late-onset complications of mustard gas poisoning in other systems including skin, respiratory tract, and immunohematologic system. methods: the study was conducted on 40 chemical war victims in khorasan province, iran. ophthalmologic and dermatologic examinations and spirometry were performed for all patie...

sulfur mustard (sm) has been used as a chemical weapon in some conflicts, and many veterans and civilians have been injured thereby. pulmonary, cutaneous, and ocular effects of sm have been frequently reported, although it seems that other organs such as the cardiovascular system are probably also affected. there are a number of studies evaluating the cardiovascular impacts of sm. however, thes...

background: mustard gas has different effects on different body systems such as respiratory tract, blood, gastrointestinal, skin, eye, endocrine and peripheral nervous system. objectives: the purpose of this study was to determine the quality of life in chemical warfare veterans due to sulfur mustard exposure. patients and methods: in a cross-sectional and analytic study, 242 patients who had a...

Recent events including the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks in New York, Washington, DC, and Pennsylvania have illustrated the vulnerability of the United States to terrorist activity. Many experts agree that a chemical or biological event is likely to occur within the continental United States during our lifetime. The anesthesiologist, as well as, emergency medicine provider and critical care specialis...

Prompt gamma-ray neutron activation analysis (PGNAA) is now a proven method for the identification of chemical warfare agents and explosives in military projectiles and storage containers. Idaho National Laboratory is developing a next-generation PGNAA instrument based on the new Ortec Detective mechanically-cooled HPGe detector and a neutron generator. In this paper we review PGNAA analysis of...

I am pleased that the two articles on Airport Remediation following a Chemical Terrorist Attack are being published in the Journal of Human and Ecological Risk Assessment since that will make them available to a larger audience and facilitate updating. Agency guideline reports tend to be shelved and forgotten and the two articles in this report should avoid that fate since they are much more th...

The UK government has carried out a research programme studying military capability under conditions of chemical warfare at a facility at Porton Down, Wiltshire, since World War I. In 2001 the Ministry of Defence commissioned a cohort study to investigate the long-term health effects on military veterans of their participation in this programme. We assessed the availability and quality of expos...

CONTEXT The main objectives of triage are securing patient safety during the process of emergency diagnosis and treatment, and reduction of waiting time for medical services and transport. To date, there is no triage system for nerve agent victims. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION This systematic review proposes a new triage system for patients exposed to nerve agents. Information regarding clinical sign...