- Author
-
Crossgrove, M.
- Title
- Toxicity of Military Smokes and Obscurants. Volume 1.
- Coporate
- National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC
- Sponsor
- U.S. Department of Defense, Washington, DC
- Report
-
Volume 1
1997
178 p.
- Distribution
- AVAILABLE FROM National Technical Information Service (NTIS), Technology Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, Springfield, VA 22161. Telephone: 1-800-553-6847 or 703-605-6000; Fax: 703-605-6900. Website: http://www.ntis.gov
- Contract
- DAMD-17-89-C9086
- Keywords
-
toxicity
|
smoke
- Abstract
- Avariety of smokes and obscurants have been developed and used in wartime operations to screen armed forces from view, signal friendly forces, and identify enemy targets. Obscurants are anthropogenic or naturally occurring particles that are suspended in the air and block or weaken transmission of a particular part or parts of the electromagnetic spectrum, such as visible and infrared radiation or microwaves. Fog, mist, and dust are examples of obscurants. Smokes are produced by burning or vaporizing some product. Large quantities of smokes and other obscurants are used in military training. The U.S. Army wishes to ensure that exposure to smokes and obscurants during training does not have adverse health effects on military personnel. To protect the health of exposed individuals, the Office of the Army Surgeon General requested that the National Research Council (NRC) review data on the toxicity of smokes and obscurants and recommend exposure guidance levels for military personnel in training and for the general public residing or working near military-training facilities. The NRC assigned this project to the Committee on Toxicology (COT), which convened the Subcommittee on Military Smokes and Obscurants. The subcommittee conducted a detailed evaluation of data on the toxicity of four obscurant smokes: fog oil, diesel fuel, red phosphorus, and hexachloroethane. toxicity data and exposure guidance levels for other smokes and obscurants will be presented in subsequent volumes.