44 Victimization of Sulfur Mustard in Qiqihar: Case Reports

Jinghai Sun, Wei Zheng

The 208th Hospital, Changchun, China.

DOI: 10.4236/ijcm.2012.37122                

Abstract

Background: Sulfur mustard (2,2’-bis-chloroethyl-sulfide; SM) has been a military threat since the World War I. SM is the major chemical warfare agent used byJapanduring World War II. The clinical picture of poisoning, including cutaneous blisters, respiratory tract damage, ocular lesions and bone marrow depression is well known. In this report, we describe a civilian exposure in August 2003, in Qiqihar, Northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province. Aim: To describe the clinical features and treatment of sulfur mustard toxicity. Results: In 44 victims of SM exposure, 32 had ocular symptoms; 43 showed significant skin blistering and pigmentation; 15 had pulmonary symptoms such as productive cough occurred; 18 have Central nervous symptoms and other effects. Conclusion: The 44 victims were all injured, when five barrels of mustard gas were dug up at a construction site inQiqihar. The gas leak killed one and injured 43 others, one of the worst accidents involving chemical weapons abandoned by Japanese invading troops in China after WWII.

Keywords

Chemical Warfare Agents; Sulfur Mustard; Qiqihar; Toxicology

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

[1]	F. Guthrie, “Ueber Einige derivate der Kohlenwasserstoffe CnHn,” European Journal of Organic Chemistry, Vol. 113, No. 3, 1860, pp. 266-288.
[2]	B. Papirmeister, A. J. Feister, S. I. Robinson and R. D. Ford, “Medical Defense against Mustard Gas: Toxic Mechanisms and Pharmacological Implications,” CRC Press, Boca Raton, 1991.
[3]	I. J. Lodhi, J. F. Sweeney, R. E. Clift and D. B. Hinshaw, “Nuclear Dependence of Sulfur Mustard-Mediated Cell Death,” Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology, Vol. 170, No. 1, 2001, pp. 69-77. doi:10.1006/taap.2000.9083
[4]	P. D. Lawley, J. H. Lethbridge, P. A. Edwards and K. V. Shooter, “Inactivation of Bacteriophage t7 by Mono- and Difunctional Sulfur Mustards in Relation to Cross-Linking and Depurination of Bacteriophage DNA,” Journal of Molecular Biology, Vol. 39, No.1, 1969, pp. 181-198. doi:10.1016/0022-2836(69)90341-6
[5]	M. Balali-Mood and M. Hefazi, “The Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Medical Treatment of Sulfur Mustard Poisoning,” Fundamental & Clinical Pharmacology, Vol. 19, No. 3, 2005, pp. 297-315. doi:10.1111/j.1472-8206.2005.00325.x
[6]	J. C. Dacre and M. Goldman, “Toxicology and Pharmacology of the Chemical Warfare Agent Sulfur Mustard,” Pharmacological Reviews, Vol. 48, No. 2, 1996, pp. 290- 326.
[7]	M. P. Shakarjian, D. E. Heck, J. P. Gray, et al., “Mechanisms Mediating the Vesicant Actions of Sulfur Mustard after Cutaneous Exposure,” Toxicological Sciences, Vol. 114, No. 1, 2010, pp. 5-19. doi:10.1093/toxsci/kfp253
[8]	D. S. Rosenthal, C. M. Simbulan-Rosenthal and S. Iyer, “Sulfur Mustard Induces Markers of Terminal Differentiation and Apoptosis in Keratinocytes via a Ca-Calmodulin and Caspase-Dependent pathway,” Journal of Investigative Dermatology, Vol. 111, No. 1, 1998, pp. 64-71. doi:10.1046/j.1523-1747.1998.00250.x
[9]	W. J. Smith, K. M. Sanders, S. E. Ruddle, et al., “Cytometric Analysis of DNA Changes Induced by Sulfur Mustard,” Cutaneous and Ocular Toxicology, Vol. 12, No. 4, 1993, pp. 337-347. doi:10.3109/15569529309050150
[10]	M. Rowell, K. Kehe, F. Balszuweit and H. Thiermann, “The Chronic Effects of Sulfur Mustard Exposure,” Toxicology, Vol. 263, No. 1, 2009, pp. 9-11. doi:10.1016/j.tox.2009.05.015