Abstract
Wipe sampling is widely used for microbiological control purposes. Sanitary and chemical studies also include analysis of samples wiped from the work surfaces during routine and periodic working conditions safety inspections at chemical facilities. The analysis also allows assessing the toxicity and hazard of items/structures that could be in contact with highly toxic substances. This study aimed to investigate the capabilities and limitations of the surface wipe sample analysis method in control of residual contamination of equipment and building structures of a former chemical weapons destruction facilities (CWDF) with sulfur mustard and O-isobutyl-S(2-diethylaminoethyl) methylphosphonothioate (VR), as well as their degradation products. Gas chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) enabled identification of the sulfur mustard markers, high-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) allowed identifying VR markers. An assessment of the matrix influence on the results of GC-MS/MS and HPLC-MS/MS analysis was carried out. The matrix effect was established to affect the results the most in case of HPLC-MS/MS analysis: for GC-MS/MS analysis of target substances, the matrix factor averaged at 60–80%, for HPLC-MS/ MS it was less than 40%. The average percent sulfur mustard recoveries from three types of surfaces (PVC tiles, laminate and metal plates) was 9 ± 2%, 0.13 ± 0.02% and 0.10 ± 0.03%; in case of VR, the recoveries was 2.7 ± 0.5%, 11.8 ± 0.3% and 0.8 ± 0.1%, respectively. The limits of detection for sulfur mustard by GC-MS/MS and VR by HPLC-MS/MS were established at 0.001 MPL and 0.02 MPL, respectively. The developed approaches were applied to the analysis of wipe samples from the surfaces of the equipment and engineering structures of the former CWDF.
Highlights
Author contribution: Shachneva MD — carrying out the experiment, summarizing the results, article authoring and editing; Leninskii MA — carrying out the experiment, article authoring; Savelieva electron ionization (EI) — academic advising, article authoring
The matrix factor was calculated with the help of the postextraction addition method: extracts from swabs that did not contain analytes were analyzed after sulfur mustard and 1,4-dithiane or VR and DEAEMPT were added to them
Where MF is the matrix factor; Spr is the peak area of the analyte in the extract from swabs containing no sulfur mustard, 1,4-dithiane, VR, or DEAEMPT, after adding the target compounds to them; Sr is the peak area of the analyte in a pure solvent
Summary
Author contribution: Shachneva MD — carrying out the experiment, summarizing the results, article authoring and editing; Leninskii MA — carrying out the experiment, article authoring; Savelieva EI — academic advising, article authoring. Целью работы было исследовать возможности и ограничения метода анализа смывов с поверхностей для контроля остаточного загрязнения оборудования и строительных конструкций бывшего предприятия по уничтожению химического оружия (УХО) сернистым ипритом и O-изобутил-S(2-диэтиламиноэтил)-метилфосфонотиоатом (VR), а также продуктами их трансформации. Разработанные подходы применены при анализе смывов с поверхностей оборудования и инженерных конструкций бывшего предприятия УХО. The detection of toxic substances and their degradation products on the surfaces and in the deep layers of building materials is relevant for assessment of safety of infrastructure elements of former chemical weapons destruction facilities (CWDF) planned for conversion, as well as for investigations of incidents in the context of terrorist attacks or events of unintentional contact with buried chemical weapons. In a specific case of one of the CWDFs, sanitary and chemical studies enabling assessment of the process equipment and engineering infrastructure's safety were aimed at identifying the elements, ОРИГИНАЛЬНОЕ ИССЛЕДОВАНИЕ ГИГИЕНА units etc that had no traces of contamination with sulfur mustard and organophosphorus toxic substances. Bis (2-chloroethyl) sulfide (sulfur mustard) and O-isobutyl-S-(2-diethylaminoethyl) methylphosphonothioate (VR) were chosen as persistent markers of contamination
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