DUSTY AGENTS IMPLICATIONS FOR CHEMICAL WARFARE PROTECTION

File: 970107_apr96_decls13_0016.txt
Page: 0016
Total Pages: 22

Subject: DUSTY AGENTS IMPLICATIONS FOR CHEMICAL WARFARE PROTECTION       

Unit: XVIII CORPS 

Parent Organization: ARCENT      

Box  ID: BX000047

Folder Title: CHEMICAL INFORMATION                                                                            

Document Number:          5

Folder Seq  #:         35







                                                   S E C R ET
                                                                            20,
                 -266OZ-055-88
              AST
              27 January 1988

              of dusty CW agents.      This work spe-       (C) Even if the Warsaw Pact had not
              cifically cited casualties from dusty         discovered the aerosol vulnerability
              agents to German research personnel           independently, a 1985 article in-an
              wearing protective clothing.        Also,     unc@sified-Austriau military jour-
              the adhe  'rence  to   impermeable CBE        f2al quoted testimony in a 1985 Us
              clothing thr6iighOUt the War@aw Pact          Senate Hearing, which stated that
              armies sugges  ts an   understanding of       '...the Soviets were developing 'new
              the  vulnerabilities     of    the    air-    chemical agents which would penetrate
              permeable designs.     US CW work from        protective clothing used by NATO
              World War 11, which    identified aero-       armies .... research efforts were fo-
              sols smaller than 2.0 um in size as           cused on microscopically small dust
              tie best for penetrating protective           particles carrying toxins or other
              clothing, was declassified in the             conventional agents  .....
              early 1960s.    In addition, the Sovi-
              ets have had a long and continuous            What is the orobabilitv of the Warsaw
              research effort on the dissemination          Pact weadonizing a dustv agent? (C)
              and filtration of aerosols, indi-
              cating a thorough understanding of            (C)   Indications of adplir-atious of
              the technologies involved.                    the impregnated dust method. exist.
re
              (S-NOFORN)   In   tie   late   1960s or       reported to have developed an alumina
              early 1970s activated carbon-based            gel dust that would fJI7 the- air
              air-permp-able CzR suits were being           channels of a canister, thus prevent-
              fielded by NATO in sufficient quanti-         ing breathing through it.         Alumina
              ties so that Warsaw Pact acquisition          gel was also one of the leading car-
              of e.@mDles- for exploitation was             riers the Germans had used in makin@
              relatively assured.     In examining a        impregnated dust.      Tne sourre may
              NATO garment with an eye            toward    have misunderstood the use of          the
              defeating it, there can be little             alumina gel dust.
              doubt that the aerosol vulnerability
              would be discovered.      More recently       (C) There is another report of         the
              (in late 1983), a supposed prototype          Soviets making an -alteration' of
              Czechoslovak air-permeable CBR suit,          lewisite to increase its ability to
              strongly modeled after the British            form colloidal dispersions and to
              Mark 111, was obtained by the West            penetrate through gas masks. The al-
              Germans.   There was some concern at          terations could be Impregnating dust
              the time that the suit might be a             with lewisite.    This might have been
              plant. Both West German (BND) and US          effective against some World War 11
              intelligence analysts have recently           era aerosol filters and would also
              assessed it as a deliberate disinfor-         be effective percutaneously.
              mation attempt designed to influence
              the selection process for t.ie next-          (C)   Researchers at the Scientific
on CBR suit in West Germany.          Research Physical Chemistry Institute
              All   other   evidence     suggests    the    imeni Karpov, in Moscow, have been
              Czechoslovaks     are    CoutitLuing    to    working on classified aerosol re-
              field impermeable CBR suits.                  search since before World War II.

                                     NOT RELEASABLE TO FOREIGN NATIONALS



                                                         12      DECLASSIFIFD
                                                                 I)OI) DIR 5200@9

Document 22 f:/Week-15/BX000047/CHEMICAL INFORMATION/dusty agents implications for chemical warfare p:010297184311120
Control Fields 17
File Room = apr96_declassified
File Cabinet = Week-15
Box ID = BX000047
Unit = XVIII CORPS
Parent Organization = ARCENT
Folder Title = CHEMICAL INFORMATION
Folder Seq # = 35
Subject = DUSTY AGENTS IMPLICATIONS FOR CHEMICAL WARFARE P
Document Seq # = 5
Document Date =
Scan Date =
Queued for Declassification = 01-JAN-1980
Short Term Referral = 01-JAN-1980
Long Term Referral = 01-JAN-1980
Permanent Referral = 01-JAN-1980
Non-Health Related Document = 01-JAN-1980
Declassified = 02-JAN-1997