Evaluation of the Absorption and Desorption of Bis(2-Chloroethyl) Sulfide (HD) from Wood Samples

The Research Directorate of the U.S. Army Chemical Research, Development and Engineering Center tested treated and untreated wooden samples submitted by the U.S. Forest Products Laboratory at the request of the U.S. Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center, Picatinny Arsenal, NJ to determine whether the wood samples met the U.S. Army NBC decontaminability requirements upper limit of desorbed HD of 36 micrograms per square centimeter specified in MIL-C-46168C. Wooden samples representing 51 different treatments were submitted for analysis. Forty treatments grossly failed and were eliminated. The remaining 11 treatments were tested by covering a 3-cm2 area of the surface with 25 microliters of HD 97 pure. To isolate the influences of wood type and their treatment from extraneous effects produced by different paths through the equipment, and the sequence in which the samples were tested, a statistically based experimental design was employed.