Page 59 - JSOM Spring 2020

Decontamination of Toxic Industrial Chemicals and
Fentanyl by Application of the RSDL Kit
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E. R. Verheij, PhD ; M. J. A. Joosen, PhD ; L. Cochrane ;
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M. de Bruin-Hoegée, MSc ; M. C. de Koning, PhD 5*
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ABSTRACT
Purpose: This study investigated the decontamination effective- FIGURE 1 RSDL Kit . The tear-open package contains the RSDL
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ness of selected toxic industrial chemicals using RSDL (Reac- lotion, which is applied to the skin by using the sponge.
tive Skin Decontamination Lotion Kit; Emergent BioSolutions
Inc.; https://www.rsdl.com/). Materials and Methods: Quan-
titative analytical methods were developed for dermal toxic
compounds of varying physicochemical properties: sulfuric
acid, hydrofluoric acid, ammonia, methylamine, hydrazine,
phenylhydrazine, 1,2-dibromoethane, capsaicin, and fentanyl.
These methods were subsequently used to evaluate the de-
contamination effectiveness on painted metal substrates at an
initial chemical contamination level of 10g/m (0.1g/m for
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fentanyl). Results: The decontamination effectiveness ranged
from 97.79% to 99.99%. Discussion and Conclusion: This
study indicates that the RSDL kit may be amenable for use as
an effective decontaminant for material substrates beyond the
classical chemical warfare agents and the analytical methods
may be used for future decontamination assessment studies
using contaminated skin or other materials.
monomethylether (MPEG-550), will neutralize a broad spec-
trum of the traditional organophosphate (OP)-based CWA
Keywords: RSDL ; Reactive Skin Decontamination Lotion Kit; (i.e., tabun, soman, sarin, VX) and T2 toxin when brought in
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decontamination; toxic; industrial chemicals contact with the nucleophilic oxime compound in the lotion.
Consequently, decontamination of OP compounds is achieved
by a combination of physical removal from the skin surface by
the sponge, and subsequent neutralization with the oximates
Introduction
in the lotion.
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The RSDL (Reactive Skin Decontamination Lotion Kit) prod-
uct includes a commercial skin decontamination lotion origi- Apart from skin decontamination, other applications of the
nally developed at Defence Research and Development Canada RSDL kit have also been investigated. For instance, it has
(DRDC) to use for the decontamination of chemical warfare been reported that the use of the RSDL kit provides additional
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agents (CWAs) on intact skin (Figure 1). The RSDL kit is a med- value over the use of water and detergents in the decontami-
ical device intended to remove or neutralize chemical warfare nation of hair and should thus be considered to be included
agents and T2-toxin from the skin. It is cleared by the US Food in body decontamination procedures. 13–15 Another envisaged
and Drug Administration (FDA) and licensed by Health Can- application is its use for decontamination of (personal protec-
ada, the Israeli Ministry of Health, and the Australian Thera- tive) equipment. 8
peutic Goods Administration. RSDL is a Class IIa CE marked
medical device in Europe, accordingly. Various aspects, such as Although the effectiveness of the RSDL kit in removing and
the safety of the RSDL kit and its shelf-life, have been estab- neutralizing a broad spectrum of traditional CWAs from the
lished in earlier publications. The efficacy of the RSDL kit skin has been widely established, its use against other agents of
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as a skin decontaminant for CWAs in relation to application interest has been scarcely studied. The nucleophilic detoxifi-
protocols has also been evaluated and reviewed extensively. 4–12 cation mechanism of KBDO suggests that OP-based pesticides,
The principal mode of action of the sponge is the removal of which are structurally related to OP-CWA, could also be de-
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the chemical agents from the skin. The lotion, which is com- graded. Indeed, Elsinghorst et al. reported that the RSDL kit
posed of a mixture of 2,3- butanedione mono-oxime (DAM), is capable of hydrolyzing several OP pesticides in vitro, and
its oximate potassium salt (KBDO), and polyethyleneglycol in analogy, Fentabil et al. recently reported that the RSDL
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*Correspondence to Dr M.C. de Koning, TNO dep. CBRN Protection, 2288GJ Rijswijk, the Netherlands.
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1 Mrs de Bruin-Hoegée, Dr Joosen, Dr Verheij, and Dr de Koning are from TNO Defense, Security and Safety, Department of CBRN Protection,
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Rijswijk, the Netherlands. Mrs Cochrane is from Emergent BioSolutions Inc., Gaithersburg, MD.
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