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An investigation into the use of ionizing radiation for the destruction of sulphur mustard

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Abstract

Chemical warfare agents have been stockpiled for almost a decade and their destruction has become an environmental issue that will continue to require attention for many years. There are hundreds of thousands of tonnes yet to be destroyed, and the current chemical or incineration techniques are not without problems. While many researchers are seeking better chemical techniques, we decided to try ionizing radiation to destroy sulphur mustard with the goal of producing non-toxic products. We irradiated a variety of sulphur mustard samples by both a mixed field source (β, γ and neutrons) and a pure gamma source. The mixed field irradiation of wet sulphur mustard for long irradiation times was the most successful at destroying the chemical agent.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the assistance of our colleagues at the Royal Military College of Canada and Defence Research and Development Canada, Ottawa for use of their gamma source. Funding has been provided principally by the CBRN Research and Technology Initiative and Director General Nuclear Safety of the Canadian Department of National Defence.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Royal Military College of Canada, Kingston, ON, K7K 7B4, Canada

    K. A. M. Creber, P. V. Samuleev & W. S. Andrews

Authors
  1. K. A. M. Creber
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  2. P. V. Samuleev
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  3. W. S. Andrews
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Correspondence to K. A. M. Creber.

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Creber, K.A.M., Samuleev, P.V. & Andrews, W.S. An investigation into the use of ionizing radiation for the destruction of sulphur mustard. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 282, 597–600 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-009-0167-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-009-0167-7

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