Study on the formulations for Topical Skin Protectant against Liquid-Phase Chemical Warfare Agents

Abstract

Chemical warfare agents(CWA) such as nerve agents and vesicating agents show lethality by skin contamination. Skin protection, therefore, is one of the top priorities to deal with the growing threat from CWA. In an attempt to develop the most effective topical skin protectant(TSP), candidate substances including PFPE(perfluorinated polyether), PTFE(polytetrafluoroethylene), glycerin, and polysaccharides were evaluated in forms of various formulations against nerve agent simulant DMMP(dimethylmethyl phosphonate) penetration. The protective efficacy of the formulation against DMMP penetration was estimated as the onset time of color change of the KM9 chemical agent detection paper. Based on this study, it was found that several PFPE- and glycerin-based formulations exhibit remarkably superior efficacy as a protective cream. This protective cream is expected to be used as TSP for military application after further research.