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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1999. Toxicity of Military Smokes and Obscurants: Volume 2. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9621.
×

Toxicity of Military Smokes and Obscurants

Volume 2

Subcommittee on Military Smokes and Obscurants

Committee on Toxicology

Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology

Commission on Life Sciences

National Research Council

National Academy Press
Washington, D.C.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1999. Toxicity of Military Smokes and Obscurants: Volume 2. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9621.
×

NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS
2101 Constitution Ave., N.W. Washington, D.C. 20418

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competencies and with regard for appropriate balance.

The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Bruce Alberts is president of the National Academy of Sciences.

The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. William A. Wulf is president of the National Academy of Engineering.

The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Kenneth I. Shine is president of the Institute of Medicine.

The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy's purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Bruce M. Alberts and Dr. William A. Wulf are chairman and vice chairman, respectively, of the National Research Council.

This project was supported by Contract Nos. DAMD 17-89-C-9086 and DAMD 17-99-C-9049 between the National Academy of Sciences and the U.S. Department of Defense. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the organizations or agencies that provided support for this project.

International Standard Book Number 0-309-06329-9

Additional copies of this report are available from:
National Academy Press
2101 Constitution Ave., NW Box 285 Washington, DC 20055 800-624-6242 202-334-3313 (in the Washington metropolitan area) http://www.nap.edu

Copyright 1999 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1999. Toxicity of Military Smokes and Obscurants: Volume 2. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9621.
×

Subcommittee on Military Smokes and Obscurants

Michele A. Medinsky (Chair),

Chemical Industry Institute of Toxicology, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina

Kevin E. Driscoll,

The Procter and Gamble Company, Cincinnati, Ohio

Charles E. Feigley,

University of South Carolina School of Public Health, Columbia, South Carolina

Donald E. Gardner,

Inhalation Toxicology Associates, Raleigh, North Carolina

Sidney Green,

Howard University, Washington, D.C.

Rogene F. Henderson,

Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute, Albuquerque, New Mexico

Carole A. Kimmel,

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C.

Hanspeter R. Witschi,

University of California, Davis, California

Garold S. Yost,

University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah

Staff

Kulbir S. Bakshi, Program Director for the Committee on Toxicology

Abigail Stack, Project Director

Ruth E. Crossgrove, Editor

Linda V. Leonard, Senior Project Assistant

Lucy V. Fusco, Project Assistant

Christine Phillips, Project Assistant

Sponsor

U.S. Department of Defense

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1999. Toxicity of Military Smokes and Obscurants: Volume 2. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9621.
×
This page in the original is blank.
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1999. Toxicity of Military Smokes and Obscurants: Volume 2. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9621.
×

Committee on Toxicology

Bailus Walker, Jr. (Chair),

Howard University Medical Center and American Public Health Association, Washington, D.C.

Melvin E. Andersen,

Colorado State University, Denver, Colorado Germaine M. Buck, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York

Gary P. Carlson,

Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana

Jack H. Dean,

Sanofi Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Malverne, Pennsylvania

Robert E. Forster II,

University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Paul M.D. Foster,

Chemical Industry Institute of Toxicology, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina

David W. Gaylor,

U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Jefferson, Arkansas

Judith A. Graham,

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina

Sidney Green,

Howard University, Washington, D.C.

William E. Halperin,

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, Ohio

Charles H. Hobbs,

Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute and Lovelace Biomedical and Environmental Research Institute, Albuquerque, New Mexico

Florence K. Kinoshita,

Hercules Incorporated, Wilmington, Delaware

Michael J. Kosnett,

University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, Colorado

Morton Lippmann,

New York University School of Medicine, Tuxedo, New York

Thomas E. McKone,

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and University of California, Berkeley, California

Ernest E. McConnell,

ToxPath, Inc., Raleigh, North Carolina

David H. Moore,

Battelle Memorial Institute, Bel Air, Maryland

Günter Oberdörster,

University of Rochester, Rochester, New York

John L O'Donoghue,

Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, New York

George M. Rusch,

AlliedSignal, Inc., Morristown, New Jersey

Mary E. Vore,

University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky

Annetta P. Watson,

Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1999. Toxicity of Military Smokes and Obscurants: Volume 2. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9621.
×

Staff

Kulbir S. Bakshi, Program Director

Susan N.J. Pang, Program Officer

Abigail Stack, Program Officer

Ruth E. Crossgrove, Publications Manager

Katherine Iverson, Manager of the Toxicology Information Center

Catherine M. Kubik, Senior Program Assistant

Linda V. Leonard, Senior Project Assistant

Lucy V. Fusco, Project Assistant

Christine Phillips, Project Assistant

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1999. Toxicity of Military Smokes and Obscurants: Volume 2. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9621.
×

Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology

Gordon Orians (Chair),

University of Washington, Seattle, Washington

Donald Mattison (Vice Chair),

March of Dimes, White Plains, New York

David Allen,

University of Texas, Austin, Texas

May R. Berenbaum,

University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois

Eula Bingham,

University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio

Paul Busch,

Malcolm Pirnie, Inc., White Plains, New York

Peter L. deFur,

Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia

David L. Eaton,

University of Washington, Seattle, Washington

Robert A. Frosch,

Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts

John Gerhart,

University of California, Berkeley, California

Mark Harwell,

University of Miami, Miami, Florida

Rogene Henderson,

Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute, Albuquerque, New Mexico

Carol Henry,

American Petroleum Institute, Washington, D.C.

Barbara Hulka,

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Daniel Krewski,

Health Canada and University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario

James A. MacMahon,

Utah State University, Logan, Utah

Mario J. Molina,

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts

Charles O'Melia,

Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland

Kirk Smith,

University of California, Berkeley, California

Margaret Strand,

Oppenheimer Wolff Donnelly & Bayh, LLP, Washington, D.C.

Terry F. Yosie,

Chemical Manufacturers Association, Arlington, Virginia

Senior Staff

James J. Reisa, Director

David J. Policansky, Associate Director and Senior Program Director for Applied Ecology

Carol A. Maczka, Senior Program Director for Toxicology and Risk Assessment

Raymond A. Wassel, Senior Program Director for Environmental Sciences and Engineering

Kulbir Bakshi, Program Director for the Committee on Toxicology

Lee R. Paulson, Program Director for Resource Management

Page viii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1999. Toxicity of Military Smokes and Obscurants: Volume 2. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9621.
×

Commission on Life Sciences

Michael T. Clegg (Chair),

University of California, Riverside, California

Paul Berg (Vice Chair),

Stanford University, Stanford, California

Frederick R. Anderson,

Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft, Washington, D.C.

John C. Bailar III,

University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois

Joanna Burger,

Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey

Sharon L. Dunwoody,

University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin

David Eisenberg,

University of California, Los Angeles, California

John Emmerson,

Portland, Oregon

Neal First,

University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin

David J. Galas,

Keck Graduate Institute of Applied Science, Claremont, California

David V. Goeddel,

Tularik, Inc., South San Francisco, California

Arturo Gomez-Pompa,

University of California, Riverside, California

Corey S. Goodman,

University of California, Berkeley, California

Henry Heikkinen,

University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, Colorado

Barbara S. Hulka,

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Hans J. Kende,

Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan

Cynthia Kenyon,

University of California, San Francisco, California

Margaret G. Kidwell,

University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona

Bruce R. Levin,

Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia

Olga F. Linares,

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Miami, Florida

David Livingston,

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts

Donald R. Mattison,

March of Dimes, White Plains, New York

Elliot M. Meyerowitz,

California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California

Robert T. Paine,

University of Washington, Seattle, Washington

Ronald R. Sederoff,

North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina

Robert R. Sokal,

State University of New York, Stony Brook, New York

Charles F. Stevens,

The Salk Institute, La Jolla, California

Shirley M. Tilghman,

Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey

John L. Vandeberg,

Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research, San Antonio, Texas

Raymond L. White,

University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah

Warren R. Muir, Executive Director

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1999. Toxicity of Military Smokes and Obscurants: Volume 2. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9621.
×

Other Reports of the Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology

Ozone-Forming Potential of Reformulated Gasoline (1999)

Risk-Based Waste Classification in California (1999)

Arsenic in Drinking Water (1999)

Research Priorities for Airborne Particulate Matter: I. Immediate Priorities and a Long-Range Research Portfolio (1998)

Brucellosis in the Greater Yellowstone Area (1998)

The National Research Council's Committee on Toxicology: The First 50 Years (1997)

Toxicologic Assessment of the Army's Zinc Cadmium Sulfide Dispersion Tests (1997)

Carcinogens and Anticarcinogens in the Human Diet (1996)

Upstream: Salmon and Society in the Pacific Northwest (1996)

Science and the Endangered Species Act (1995)

Wetlands: Characteristics and Boundaries (1995)

Biologic Markers (5 reports, 1989–1995)

Review of EPA's Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (3 reports, 1994–1995)

Science and Judgment in Risk Assessment (1994)

Ranking Hazardous Waste Sites for Remedial Action (1994)

Pesticides in the Diets of Infants and Children (1993)

Issues in Risk Assessment (1993)

Setting Priorities for Land Conservation (1993)

Protecting Visibility in National Parks and Wilderness Areas (1993)

Dolphins and the Tuna Industry (1992)

Hazardous Materials on the Public Lands (1992)

Science and the National Parks (1992)

Animals as Sentinels of Environmental Health Hazards (1991)

Assessment of the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Studies Program, Volumes HV (1991–1993)

Human Exposure Assessment for Airborne Pollutants (1991)

Monitoring Human Tissues for Toxic Substances (1991)

Rethinking the Ozone Problem in Urban and Regional Air Pollution (1991)

Decline of the Sea Turtles (1990)

Copies of these reports may be ordered from the National Academy Press (800) 624.6242 or (202) 334-3313 www.nap.edu

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1999. Toxicity of Military Smokes and Obscurants: Volume 2. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9621.
×

Other Reports of the Committee on Toxicology

Assessment of Exposure-Response Functions for Rocket-Emissions Toxicants (1998)

Review of A Screening Level Risk Assessment for the Naval Air Facility at Atsugi, Japan (Letter Report) (1998)

Toxicity of Military Smokes and Obscurants, Volume 1 (1997)

Review of Acute Human-Toxicity Estimates for Selected Chemical-Warfare Agents (1997)

The National Research Council's Committee on Toxicology: The First 50 Years (1997)

Toxicologic Assessment of the Army's Zinc Cadmium Sulfide Dispersion Tests (1997)

Toxicologic Assessment of the Army's Zinc Cadmium Sulfide Dispersion Tests: Answers to Commonly Asked Questions (1997)

Toxicity of Alternatives to Chlorofluorocarbons: HFC-134a and HCFC-123 (1996)

Permissible Exposure Levels for Selected Military Fuel Vapors (1996)

Spacecraft Maximum Allowable Concentrations for Selected Airborne Contaminants, Volume 1 (1994), Volume 2 (1996), Volume 3 (1996)

Nitrate and Nitrite in Drinking Water (1995)

Guidelines for Chemical Warfare Agents in Military Field Drinking Water (1995)

Review of the U.S. Naval Medical Research Institute's Toxicology Program (1994)

Health Effects of Permethrin-Impregnated Army Battle-Dress Uniforms (1994)

Health Effects of Ingested Fluoride (1993)

Guidelines for Developing Community Emergency Exposure Levels for Hazardous Substances (1993)

Guidelines for Developing Spacecraft Maximum Allowable Concentrations for Space Station Contaminants (1992)

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1999. Toxicity of Military Smokes and Obscurants: Volume 2. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9621.
×

Preface

The U.S. Army uses smokes and obscurants to screen armed forces from view, signal friendly forces, and mark positions. Military personnel are exposed to smokes and obscurants during training exercises. The Army would like to ensure that exposures to these substances do not adversely affect the health of Army personnel or the public living and working near military-training facilities. To assist with this effort, the Army requested the National Research Council (NRC) to independently review the available toxicity data on several obscuring smokes and recommend exposure guidance levels for each. In response, the NRC's Committee on Toxicology (COT) convened the Subcommittee on Military Smokes and Obscurants, which prepared this report. The report reviews toxicity data and recommends exposure guidance levels for four obscuring smokes: white phosphorus, brass, titanium dioxide, and graphite.

Several individuals assisted the subcommittee by providing information on the uses and toxicity of the smokes addressed in this report. We gratefully acknowledge Colonel Francis L. O'Donnell, Major James Martin, Colonel David Wilder, and the Office of the Surgeon General of the U.S. Army for their interest and support of this project. We also thank Winnifred Palmer, Sandra Thomson, and Michael Burnham from the U.S. Army for providing information to the subcommittee.

This report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise in accordance with procedures for reviewing NRC and Institute of Medicine reports. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the NRC in making the published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1999. Toxicity of Military Smokes and Obscurants: Volume 2. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9621.
×

The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We wish to thank the following individuals, who are neither officials nor employees of the NRC, for their participation in the review of this report: John Doull, University of Kansas Medical Center; Robert Forster, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine; Charles Hobbs, Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute; Florence Kinoshita, Hercules Incorporated; Richard Schlessinger, New York University Medical Center; and Loren Koller, Oregon State University (Review Coordinator).

The individuals listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions. It must be emphasized, however, that responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the authoring subcommittee and the NRC.

We are also grateful for the assistance of the NRC staff in the preparation of this report. The subcommittee wishes to acknowledge Kulbir Bakshi, program director of the Committee on Toxicology and Abigail Stack, project director for this report. Other staff members contributing to this report were Paul Gilman, former executive director of the Commission on Life Sciences; James Reisa, director of the Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology; Carol Maczka, senior program director for toxicology and risk assessment; Ruth Crossgrove, editor; and Lucy Fusco, Linda Leonard, and Christine Phillips, project assistants.

Finally, we would like to thank all the members of the subcommittee for their expertise and dedicated effort throughout the study.

MICHELE A. MEDINSKY, PH.D.

CHAIR, SUBCOMMITTEE ON MILITARY SMOKES AND OBSCURANTS

BAILUS WALKER JR., PH.D., M.P.H.

CHAIR, COMMITTEE ON TOXICOLOGY

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1999. Toxicity of Military Smokes and Obscurants: Volume 2. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9621.
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A variety of smokes and obscurants have been developed and are used to screen armed forces from view, signal friendly forces, and mark positions. Obscurants are anthropogenic or naturally occurring particles suspended in the air that block or weaken transmission of particular parts of the electromagnetic spectrum, such as visible and infrared radiation or microwaves. Fog, mist, and dust are examples of natural obscurants. Smokes are produced by burning or vaporizing some product. Red phosphorus smoke and graphite smoke are examples of anthropogenic obscurants.

The U.S. Army seeks to ensure that exposure to smokes and obscurants during training does not have adverse health effects on military personnel or civilians. 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 the toxicity of four obscuring smokes: white phosphorus, brass, titanium dioxide, and graphite. The results of the subcommittee's study are presented in this report, which is the second volume in the series. Toxicity data and exposure guidance levels for diesel-fuel, fog-oil, red phosphorus, and hexachloroethane smokes were presented in Volume 1. Seven colored smokes will be reviewed in a subsequent volume.

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