Abstract details
Detection of Chemical Threat Agents in Drinking Water by an Early Warning Real-Time Biomonitor
Green, U.1), *), Kremer, J.H. 1), Zillmer, M. 1), Moldaenke, C.2) 1) German Armed Forces Institute for Protection Technologies, D-29623 Munster, post box 1142, druwegreen@bwb.org2) bbe Moldaenke, Wildrosenweg 3, D-24119 Kiel-Kronshagen *) to whom correspondence should be addressed Abstract
The safety of water supplies to civilian organisations and military personnel is an important objective to avoid toxic contamination of civilians and soldiers. Chemical warfare (CW) agents and especially organophosphorous nerve compounds are the most toxic of known chemical agents. A continuously working test system with Daphnia magna as a sensitive organism is used for monitoring of drinking water. Both small doses (allowable for short term water ingestion) and graduated higher concentrations induced toxic reactions leading to alarms in the Daphnia-Toximeter System. The system is sensitive to a wide range of CW agents and their hydrolysis products. Concentrations which are below acute human toxicity could be discovered in a very short time with the actual time depending on the applied concentrations. In every case alarms occur within two hours at concentrations which are considered allowable for drinking water in exceptional conditions. Keywords: Chemical Warfare Agents, CW agents, Sarin, Tabun, Soman, Cyclosarin, Cyanide, Daphnia, Daphnia-Toximeter, Drinking Water Surveillance
