Browsing by Author "Webb, Sally"

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    A critical review of liquid, low toxicity chemical warfare agent simulants: enhancing accuracy, safety, and methodological approaches for sampling
    (Elsevier, 2025-07-15) Webb, Sally; Coulon, Frederic; Temple, Tracey
    The use of simulants is a crucial aspect of studying the behaviour and effects of chemical warfare agents (CWAs) and toxic industrial chemicals (TICs) without the inherent dangers associated with handling and utilising the actual hazardous substances. This review assesses the selection and application of simulants for different classes of CWAs, including nerve agents such as soman, V agents and blister agents such as sulphur and nitrogen mustards. Several simulants were examined, including diethyl malonate, malathion, methyl salicylate, and di (propylene glycol) monomethyl ether, to ascertain their structural and physiochemical properties, yet present minimal toxicity risks. A key insight from this review is the importance of aligning simulant physicochemical properties, such as hydrophobicity, volatility and solubility to those of CWAs. This ensures data relevancy in sampling accuracy and method validation. Our findings demonstrate the efficacy of utilising multiple simulants to model complex interactions within different environmental and forensic matrices, thereby enhancing the precision and reliability of detection and verification procedures. By concentrating on liquid-based simulants and excluding gaseous and solid agents, this review offers a focused assessment of existing sampling methodologies for liquid CWAs in field conditions. It concludes by proposing a unified approach to sampling standards that mitigates the risk with the objective of enhancing the practicality and reliability of detection methods while ensuring personnel safety. Furthermore, this review provides crucial insights for developing robust, field-deployable CWA sampling strategies that strike a balance between accuracy, accessibility and low toxicity.
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    Comparative sampling methodologies for detecting and quantifying 2,4,6 trinitrotoluene post-blast traces in water
    (Cranfield University Defence and Security, 2024-11-13) Webb, Sally; Sharma, Bhumika; Temple, Tracey; Coulon, Frederic
    This study addresses the analytical challenges associated with recovering explosive residues, focusing on the identification of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) in water samples. It evaluates the practicality, efficiency, and representativeness of three sampling methodologies: traditional grab sampling (GS), composite sampling (CS), and 3-D multi-increment sampling (3D-MIS). High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) was employed for explosive identification. Post-blast sampling of TNT residues from high-order and low-order deflagrations was conducted to assess each method's efficacy and limitations in detecting trace and bulk contaminations. The experiments were conducted at the Alford Technologies Group range in Broadmead, UK, with analysis performed at the Defence Academy in Shrivenham, UK. Key findings highlight the varying effectiveness of each sampling method, with implications for enhancing detection sensitivity and accuracy in post-blast scenarios. This study underscores the importance of selecting appropriate sampling strategies tailored to different contamination scenarios, thereby informing more effective response protocols in CBRNE incidents involving water environments.
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    Environmental concerns when utilizing detonation as the clearance method for dumped munitions
    (Cranfield University Defence and Security, 2024-11-13) Sharma, Bhumika; Webb, Sally; Temple, Tracey; Coulon, Frederic
    Common methods for clearing dumped munitions include low-order and high-order detonations. Low-order detonations produce subsonic explosions, typically leaving behind large explosive fragments, while high-order detonations involve supersonic explosions, usually destroying the entire munition. However, both methods may result in incomplete combustion and the release of explosive materials into the aquatic environment. Additional environmental impacts include noise pollution, shock waves, metal toxicity, and the spread of bomb fragments. To therefore estimate the detonation hazards further experiments were conducted under controlled conditions using six 1000L Intermediate bulk container tanks. Explosive charges were detonated at both low-order and high-order detonations. On average, the low-order detonations (Tanks A & B) left 8.76 ppm of explosive residues, while high-order detonations (Tanks C & D) left significantly less residue, averaging 1.18 ppm. These values were based on a starting explosive concentration of 115 ppm before detonation. The findings confirmed that low-order detonations leave more explosive residue, leading to a higher risk of toxicity. High-order detonations, though resulting in less explosive residue, release fragments at high velocity, posing a serious environmental threat and increasing the risk of accidental explosions.