SKIN SENSITIZATION TO VESICANT AGENTS OF CHEMICAL WARFARE

[摘要] In addition to their inherent or obligate damaging effects, these vesicant agents of chemical warfare can produce specific skin sensitization in both guinea pigs and man. The susceptibility both to the inherent damaging action and to sensitization by these vesicants varies greatly from individual to individual. There is no evident relationship between an individual''s susceptibility to primary damage and his susceptibility to sensitization. After adequate exposures to mustard gas, lewisite, or phenyldichlorarsine, more than 60% of human subjects may acquire some degree of skin hy-persensitivity. These vesicant agents are, therefore, of the same order of sensitizing potency as poison ivy extracts, primrose extracts, dinitrochlorbenzene, paranitrosodimethylanil-ine, etc., which are among the most powerful of the known eczematogenic sensitizers in man. The acquired skin hyper-sensitivity to these vesicant agents of chemical warfare evidences characteristics typical of the eczematous form of allergic hypersensitivity to simple chemicals, plants, etc.