TAB A – Acronym Listing/Glossary
This TAB provides a listing of acronyms found in this report. Additionally, the Glossary section provides definitions for selected technical terms that are not found in common usage.
Acronyms
ACADA ......................................................................Automatic Chemical Agent Detector Alarm ACALA............................................................ Army Chemical and Ammunition Logistics Activity ACR.................................................................................................... Armored Cavalry Regiment AMC .....................................................................................................Army Materiel Command AMCCOM.................................................................. Armament, Munitions, Chemical Command ARCENT US.......................................................................................... Army Central Command CAM....................................................................................................... Chemical Agent Monitor CBDCOM.................................................................. Chemical and Biological Defense Command CBR ..............................................................................................chemical-biological-radiological CDE....................................................................................................chemical defense equipment CDR........................................................................................................................... commander COMUSARCENT....................................................... Commander, US Army Central Command CWA......................................................................................................... chemical warfare agent DIRACALA....................................... Director, Army Chemical and Ammunition Logistics Activity DoD............................................................................................................Department of Defense ERDEC.................................................Edgewood Research and Development Engineering Center GAO......................................................................................................General Accounting Office INTSUM .......................................................................................................intelligence summary MIL-STD .............................................................................................................military standard MOPP...................................................................................... mission oriented protective posture MOS................................................................................................ military occupational specialty NBC .....................................................................................................nuclear biological chemical SIA....................................................................................................... station of initial assignment SWA..................................................................................................................... Southwest Asia SMCT..................................................................................... Soldiers Manual of Common Tasks TECOM.......................................................................... US Army Test and Evaluation Command USCENTCOM ............................................................................United States Central Command |
Glossary |
| AC | Hydrogen cyanide, a blood agent.[88] |
| Acetylcholine | A chemical compound that causes muscles to contract. It is found in various organs and tissues of the body. It is rapidly broken down by an enzyme, cholinesterase. Excessive production of acetylcholine (such as found in nerve agent poisoning) may result in neuromuscular block.[89] |
| Acetylcholinesterase | An enzyme which stops the action of acetylcholine by separating the acetylcholine into its components of acetic acid and choline. Nerve agents combine with acetylcholinesterase to prevent it from performing its inactivation of acetylcholine.[90] |
| Blister agent | A chemical warfare agent which produces local irritation and damage to the skin and mucous membranes, pain and injury to the eyes, reddening and blistering of the skin, and when inhaled, damage to the respiratory tract. Blister agents include mustards (HD and HN), arsenicals (L), and mustard and lewisite mixtures (HL).[91] Although phosgene oxime (CX) is not a blister agent[92], it is treated as one in the operation of the M256 kit. Phosgene oxime is more correctly referred to as an urticant. |
| Blood agent | A chemical warfare agent which is inhaled and absorbed into the blood. The blood carries the agent to all body tissues where it interferes with the tissue oxygenation process. The brain is especially affected. The effect on the brain leads to cessation of respiration followed by cardiovascular collapse. Examples of blood agents are AC and CK.[93] |
| Chemical Agent Monitor (CAM) | A CAM is a hand-held, soldier-operated device that is used to monitor chemical warfare agent contamination on individuals and equipment.[94] |
| Chemical warfare agent | A chemical substance used in military operations to kill, seriously injure, or incapacitate humans (or animals) through its toxicological effects. Excluded are riot control agents, chemical herbicides, and smoke and flame materials. Chemical agents include nerve agents, incapacitating agents, blister agents (vesicants), lung damaging agents, blood agents, and vomiting agents. [95] |
| Chemical warfare | All aspects of military operations involving the employment of lethal and incapacitating munitions/agents and the warning and protective measures associated with such offensive operations. [96] |
| Chromatography | A process in which a chemical mixture is separated into its individual components. The process occurs when the mixture is forced to flow through or over a stationary liquid or solid.[97] The blister agent test spot is made from a material that acts as the stationary solid. |
| CK | Cyanogen chloride, a blood agent.[98] |
| CS | Tear
gas |
| CX | Phosgene oxime (see urticant and blister agent).[100] |
| Enzyme | Any of the numerous complex proteins that are produced by living cells and catalyze specific biochemical reactions at body temperatures.[101] |
| GA | Tabun nerve agent Chemical name: Ethyl N,N-dimethylphosphoroamidocyanidate.[102] |
| GB | Sarin-nerve agent Chemical name: Isoproyl methylphosphonofluoridate. [103] |
| GD | Soman
nerve agent, |
| GF | G-series nerve agent Chemical Name: O-Cyclohexyl-methylfluorophosphonate. |
| GulfLINK | A World Wide Web site maintained by the Office of the Assistant to the Deputy Secretary of Defense for Gulf War Illnesses www.gulflink.health.mil[105] |
| H | H-series blister agents: A series of persistent blister agents, that include Levinstein (Sulfur) Mustards (H), Distilled Mustard (HD), Nitrogen Mustards (HN-1, HN-2, HN-3), and Mustard-Lewisite Mixture (HL). [106] |
| HC | A special smoke made from petroleum oil. It is a mixture of granulated aluminum, zinc oxide, and hexachloroethane.[107] |
| HD | Distilled mustard, a blister agent.[108] |
| Incapacitating agent | A chemical warfare agent that produces a temporary disabling condition (physiological or psychological) that persists for hours to days after exposure has ceased. [109] |
| Interferent | A substance that, when present with a chemical warfare agent at or above the minimum detectable level, causes a false negative when otherwise a true positive would have resulted.[110] |
| L | Lewisite,
a blister agent |
| Mercuric cyanide | A white or colorless crystalline solid that is used in medicine, germicidal soaps, photography and in making cyanogen gas. The health effects caused by exposure to mercuric cyanide vary depending on the amount of exposure and the type of exposure (liquid or gas).[112] |
| Michler’s thioketone | A blue powder or white-to-green-colored leaflet material. It is used as a chemical intermediate in making dyes and pigments. [113] |
| Mission Oriented Protective Posture (MOPP) | A flexible system used to direct the wearing of chemical protective garments and mask to balance mission requirements with the chemical warfare agent threat. Wearing chemical protective garments and mask provides individuals protection against most known chemical warfare agents, biological agents, and toxins. MOPP Level 0 requires individuals to carry their protective mask; personnel in MOPP Level 4 wear all MOPP gear. MOPP gear consists of the following items: chemical suit, overboots, butyl rubber gloves, and protective mask with hood.[114] |
| M18 Chemical Agent Detector Kit |
The M18 and improved M18A2 kits are portable, expendable items capable of surface and vapor analyses. The M18A2 kit is designed primarily for detecting dangerous concentrations of vapors, aerosols, and liquid droplets of chemical agents. The capability of the kit provides for the sampling of unknown NBC agents. The presence of a chemical warfare agent is detected by distinctive color changes.[115] |
| M19 Sampling and Analyzing Kit | The M19 kit is a portable, expendable item used to identify chemical agents, perform preliminary processing of unidentifiable chemical or biological warfare agent samples, and delineate contaminated areas. [116] |
| Nerve agents | The most toxic chemical warfare agent. Nerve agents are absorbed into the body through breathing, by injection, or absorption through the skin. They affect the nervous and the respiratory systems and various body functions. They include the G series and V series chemical warfare agents.[117] |
| pH | Chemistry measurement of acidity and alkalinity. The pH scale goes from 0 to14 with 7 as the neutral point. A substance with a pH lower than 7 is acidic, while a pH above 7 is alkaline. [118] |
| Shelf life | The period during which an item or material may be stored and remain suitable for use. [119] |
| Urticant | A substance that causes a burning or itching of the skin such as that caused by nettle stings. [120] |
| V | Persistent, highly toxic nerve agents developed in the mid-1950s and absorbed primarily through the skin. V agents are generally colorless and odorless liquids which do not evaporate rapidly. The standard V agent is VX while others include Vx, and VX2. [121] |
| VX | V-series nerve agent.
Chemical Name: O-ethyl-S-(2-diisopropylaminoethyl) methyl phosphonothiolate.[122] |
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