Research paper. Air Force Research Laboratory, Human Effectiveness Directorate Crew Survivability and Logistics Division, Operational Toxicology Branch. 1998. — 15 p.Soldiers handling Howitzer cartridges may have the potential to absorb the components of solid propellants through the skin of the hands. The purpose of this research was to determine if systemic absorption of chemical components of the new Modular Artillery Charge System (MACS) might be a hazard in operational military environments. We sampled the surfaces of solid propellant cartridges (XM232), which were stored under extreme environmental conditions, to determine the concentrations of various propellant components (nitroglycerine, diphenylamine, nitroguanidine, and nitrocellulose).
After eleven months of storage, the only propellants found on the surface of the cartridges were very small quantities of nitroglycerin and diphenylamine. We used excised rat skin in static diffusion cells to investigate die dermal absorption of these components from the MACS in powdered form. Measured surface concentrations after storage and measured fluxes from diffusion studies were used to estimate systemic absorption in human exposure scenarios. Systemic absorption via the dermal route was compared with the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) Threshold Limit Values (TLVs ™) for these chemicals. Our results suggest that these propellant components are not absorbed sufficiently to be a systemic hazard under anticipated use conditions.Contents:
Preface.
Abstract.
Introduction.
Propellants.
Surface Sampling.
Static Diffusion Cell Studies.
Analytical Methods.
Flux and Skin Absorption Time.
Results and discussion.
Propellant on Increment Surfaces.
Dermal Absorption of Propellant Components in Rat Skin.
Skin Absorption Time for Nitroglycerin.
Dermal Absorption of Combustible Case Components in Rat Skin.
Summary and conclusions.
References.
