TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

To the District of Columbia Department of Health

Potential Contaminants in Soils at American University, Washington, DC

January 8, 1998

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) has been requested to consider whether suspected chemical warfare agents, laboratory reagents, and associated degradation products in soils at the American University in Washington, DC, could pose a concern to public health. This question came about because many of these substances were not on the target compound list for the soil sampling analysis. After discussing the list of potential contaminants supplied by the DC government (enclosed with this correspondence) with the Army Corps of Engineers’ contractor, Parsons Engineering, ATSDR has been assured that the majority of substances in the list would have been tentatively identified during the sample analysis, since they were included in the reference library for the gas chromatograph/mass spectrograph during analysis. Contamination by other substances or their degradation products would have been observed as increased levels of inorganic substances, particularly arsenic. Remaining substances are chemical warfare agents, which are volatile and reactive in nature, making it unlikely that any of these substances would remain to contaminate soils in the area.

ATSDR concludes that the potential for these substances to contaminate soils at the American University has been appropriately addressed during the analyses of soil samples. Although arsenic was elevated above background in a few locations, ATSDR concluded in a previous public health consultation dated August 26, 1997 that no adverse health effects should occur as a result of exposure to arsenic in these soils. No other potential contaminants were observed at concentrations of concern.

Please contact me at (404)498-0684 should you have any questions or comments.

Signed,
Dana Abouelnasr, Ph.D.

List of Potential Contaminants (Supplied by the DC Government)

WWI CHEMICAL AGENTS AND BREAKDOWN PRODUCTS

1,4-Dithiane
1,4-Oxathiane
2-Chloroacetophenone
4-Chloroacetophenone
Adamsite DM
Benzothiozole
Bromoacetone
Bromobenzylcyanide
Chlorine
p-Chlorophenylmethylsulfide
p-Chlorophenylmethylsulfone
p-Chlorophenylmethylsulfoxide
Chloropicrin PS
Cyanogen chloride
Diisopropyl methylphosphonate
Dimethyldisulfide
Dimethyl methylphosphonate
Diphenylchlorarsine
Diphenylcyanoarsine
Diphosgene
Ethyldichloroarsine
Hydrogen cyanide
Lewisite
Mustard HD
Nitrogen Mustard HN-3
Phenyldichloroarsine
Phosgene CB
Stannic Chloride

POST-WWII
CHEMICAL AGENTS

Sarin CB
Soman GD
Tabin GA
VX

LABORATORY
REAGENTS

Acrolein
Acetophenone
Acetyl chloride
Acetylene-arsenic trichloride
Acetyl fluoride
Aluminum chloride
Aluminum arsenide
Ammonium cyanide
Arsenic trifluoride
Arsine
Benzyl cyanide
Boron trifluoride
Bromine trifluoride
Bromobenzyl cyanide
Butyl mercaptan
Calcium arsenide
Chloroacetic anhydride
Chloroacetyl chloride
Cyanogen bromide
Diethyl sulfide
Hydrocyanic acid
Iodine pentafluoride
Kendalite
Magnesium arsenide
Martonite
Methyldichloroarsine
Nitrogen peroxide
Nitrosomethylurethane
Phenylbromoacetonitrile
Phenylimidophosgene
Strontium chlorate
Strontium permanganate
Sulfur dichloride
Sulfur hexafluoride
Sulfur monochloride
Superpalie
Titanium tetrachloride
Thionyl fluoride
Thiophosgene
Zinc arsenide

Page last reviewed: September 22, 2015