ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on medical diagnostics that provides a basic outline and references for the state-of-the-art analytical methods presently available in the literature. It describes the collection, handling, storage, and shipping of biological samples for chemical warfare agent (CWA) analysis as well as sample submissions requiring a chain of custody. The chapter discusses specific agents: nerve agents, vesicants, cyanide, phosgene, and 3-quinuclidinyl benzilate. It reviews assays that have been published in the open literature for CWA exposure and how they have been applied in potential exposure situations. Clinical tests demonstrating exposure to these nerve agents or pesticides uses measurement of the activities of acetylcholinesterase or butyrylcholinesterase enzymes in the blood. Typical matrices for biomedical samples used for CWA verification include blood, plasma, urine, and tissues. By comparison, the collection of blood/plasma is more invasive and should be performed by trained medical personnel.
