Reports

Combined Exposures to Hydrogen Cyanide and Carbon Monoxide in Army Operations: Final Report (2008)

Military personnel in weaponized armored vehicles, such as tanks, are exposed to small amounts of carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen cyanide (HCN) gases that are released when the vehicle's guns are fired. Exposure to either one of these gases can reduce the amount of oxygen supplied to the brain and heart, so the U.S. Army has been giving specific attention to the potential combined effects of simultaneous exposure to low levels of both gases. The Army proposed an assessment approach that assumes the effects of low level exposure to both gases are additive. This report concludes that the Army's approach is appropriate, pending further findings suggesting otherwise. The report recommends that it is most practical to first focus on carbon monoxide exposures and then use that information to study the combined effects of the two agents. The report recommends experiments to assess the relationship between low concentrations of carbon monoxide in air and the amount taken up in the blood of those exposed. It also recommends experiments on the neurophysiological effects of carbon monoxide exposures, such as changes in attentiveness and reaction-time, relevant to real-life situations in deployed armored vehicles.
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