Anaerobic toxicity and biodegradability of hydrolysis products of chemicalwarfare agents

The toxicity and biodegradability of the main hydrolysis products of chemic al warfare agents were investigated under methanogenic conditions. Among th e tested substances, only MPhA does not have any toxic effect with regard t o the aceticlastic methanogenic activity. The toxicity of other com pounds varied between moderate (TDG, mercaptoethanol) to strong (ethanolamine, dii sobutyl ester of MPhA). Biodegradability tests showed that all the products of chemical detoxification of mustard gas (ethanolamine, ethylene glycol, TDG, mercaptoethanol) can be biomineralized under methanogenic conditions. On the contrary, phosphorus-containing compounds from the chemical detoxifi cation of nerve warfare agents (Sarin, Soman, V-x-gases) are quite persiste nt under these conditions.