ABSTRACT
Guides for Emergency Response: Chemical Agent or Weapon: Blister Agent Nitrogen Mustard (HN-1), Nitrogen Mustard (HN-2), Nitrogen Mustard (HN-3) Introduction to Nitrogen Mustard(s): Th e blister agent Nitrogen Mustard (HN-1) can be identifi ed as United Nation number 2810, and Guide 153 in the 2004 Emergency Response Guide available to all fi re departments in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. HN-1 was the fi rst of the nitrogen mustard agents produced in the late 1920s and early 1930s. It was meant to be a drug to remove warts, but found its true mission as a chemical agent. HN-2 rather reversed that procedure, being designed as a chemical agent but being used as a pharmaceutical drug. HN-3 could possibly be the only nitrogen mustards used or stored today as a military agent; it is the principal representative of the nitrogen mustards since its vesicant properties are almost equal to HD (distilled mustard). HN-3 is a cumulative poison highly irritating to the eyes and throat. Th e median incapacitating dose for eyes is 200 mg-min/m3. Nitrogen Mustard (HN-3) will interfere with hemoglobin functioning in the blood, hindering the production of new blood cells and destroying white blood cells. Th e persistency of HN-3 is two to three times that of HD (distilled mustard), so it can endure longer as a terrain denial, and adheres well to both equipment as well as personnel.
