The authors thank Dr. Wes Gordon (ECBC) for support in instrument design. This work represents the cumulative results from two research programs funded by Eric Lowenstein and Michael Roberts (Defense Threat Reduction Agency) under program CA08MSB317. The technical reports cited herein can be obtained at <a href="http://www.dtic.mil">http://www.dtic.mil</a>.

1. Condition Paint Substrates to the Desired Environment
<ol>
	<li>Preset the environmental chamber for substrate conditioning to the specified temperature and relative humidity (20 &#176;C, 50%). Ensure that the substrate conditions are consistently maintained since both temperature and water content can significantly influence absorption rates into materials.</li>
	<li>Coat 0.32 cm thick, 5.08 cm radius stainless steel discs with a surface area of 20.25 cm2 with a layer of paint (MIL-DTL-53039, a solvent-d...

<ol>
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Hazard Mater. 260, 907-913 (2013).</li><li>Lalain, T., Mantooth, B., Shue, M., Pusey, S., Wylie, D. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=.">.</a> The Chemical Contaminant and Decontaminant Test Methodology Source Document. Second Edition. Report No. ECBC-TR-980. , (2011).</li><li>. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=.">.</a> MIL-DTL-53039B: Coating Aliphatic Polyurethane, Single Component, Chemical Agent Resistant. , (2005).</li><li>Shue, M., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=.">.</a> Low-Level Analytical Methodology Updates to Support Decontaminant Performance Evaluations. Report No. ECBC-TR-883. , (2011).</li><li>Schwope, A. D., Klein, J. M., Sidman, K. R., Reid, R. C. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Sorption-Desorption+Phenomena+of+Chemicals+from+Polymer+(Paint)+Films.">Sorption-Desorption Phenomena of Chemicals from Polymer (Paint) Films.</a> J. Hazard. Mater. 13, 353-367 (1986).</li><li>Li, F., Niu, J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Control+of+Volatile+Organic+Compounds+Indoors+-+Development+of+an+Integrated+Mass-Transfer-Based+Model+and+Its+Application.">Control of Volatile Organic Compounds Indoors - Development of an Integrated Mass-Transfer-Based Model and Its Application.</a> Atmos. Environ. 41, 2344-2354 (2007).</li><li>Li, F., Niu, J., Zhang, L. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=A+Physically-Based+Model+for+Prediction+of+VOCs+Emissions+from+Paint+Applied+to+an+Absorptive+Substrate.">A Physically-Based Model for Prediction of VOCs Emissions from Paint Applied to an Absorptive Substrate.</a> Build. Environ. 41, 1317-1325 (2006).</li><li>Li, F., Niu, J. L. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Simultaneous+Estimation+of+VOCs+Diffusion+and+Partition+Coefficients+in+Building+Materials+via+Inverse+Analysis.">Simultaneous Estimation of VOCs Diffusion and Partition Coefficients in Building Materials via Inverse Analysis.</a> Build. Environ. 40, 1366-1374 (2005).</li><li>Li, F., Niu, J. 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Mass transport parameters for HD and VX in the paint were determined via the numerical inverse analysis of vapor emission data. With calculated parameters, it was possible to then produce time-dependent concentration gradient maps for contaminant distribution in the paint coating. The inverse analysis results demonstrated that the solubility of HD in the SD paint was higher than VX, but the diffusivity was approximately 5x lower. The results suggest that the HD contamination was highly concentrated at the surface of t...

The mass transport mechanisms associated with contamination of materials by chemical warfare agents are driven by a variety of convolved processes including physical state transitions, chemical interactions between mobile species, and materials interfaces. To develop efficacious decontamination technologies, optimized decontamination procedures, and predictive models, it is vital that the contamination process is well understood, including the transport of contaminants into materials via absorption and the subsequent chemical emission back into the environment. Consequently, it is imperative that approaches are developed that can evaluate subsurface concentration profiles for contaminant-material pairs as a function of environmental conditions. A continuum-scale, physics-based model was developed to predict the concentration distribution of absorbed agent in a contaminated substrate. Experimentally derived mass transport parameters enable the prediction of the vapor emission from the contaminated material post decontamination. An ability to predict the concentration distribution in a material can facilitate the assessment of potential vapor hazards and, in turn, enable accurate diagnoses of toxicological hazards1. This approach allows for an estimation of contaminant-material pair specific mass transport parameters such as diffusivity and saturation concentration that in turn permit modeling for a other scenarios and conditions. In this study, we have treated the liquid phase contamination of solvent-dispersed, polyurethane paint coatings with chemical warfare agents bis(2-chloroethyl) sulfide (distilled mustard, blister agent HD) and O-ethyl S-[2-(diisopropylamino)ethyl] methylphosphonothioate (VX), an organophosphate nerve agent.
The developed methodology characterizes gas desorption profiles from contaminated materials, including chemical warfare agents like HD and VX, without many of the restrictions that hamper other approaches2,3. Time-resolved mass spectrometry measurements of contaminant evolution from contaminated substrates allow for a diffusive transport model with inverse analysis to calculate mass transport parameters for the contaminant in the material, including the absorbed concentration profile for the contaminant starting from the original permeation event. With the establishment of a predictive capability for delineating concentration profiles of contaminants in materials as a function of environmental conditions comes the ability to assess toxicological hazards and ultimately develop routes for efficacious decontamination. 
In this paper, the details associated with sample preparation are presented, including work with chemical warfare agent contaminants, as well as experimental data collection from contaminated materials and subsequent modeling4. Experimental runs were conducted as described in the chemical contaminant and decontaminant source document5 and will be discussed in the next section. A flow chart for sample preparation and analysis steps in included in Figure 1.

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="646">
	<tbody>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:203px;">Name of Material/Equipment</td>
			<td style="width:101px;">Company</td>
			<td style="width:97px;">Catalog Number</td>
			<td style="width:245px;">Comments/Description</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="63">
			<td height="63" style="height:63px;width:203px;">Stainless Steel Tray</td>
			<td style="width:101px;">McMaster Carr</td>
			<td style="width:97px;">4189T1</td>
			<td style="width:245px;">13-5/8&#34; L x 9-3/4&#34; W, http://www.mcmaster.com/#stainless-steel-trays/=p8dcgp</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="67">
			<td height="67" style="height:67px;width:203px;">MIL-DTL-53039 solvent-dispersible aliphatic polyurethane coating system</td>
			<td style="width:101px;"></td>
			<td style="width:97px;"></td>
			<td style="width:245px;">Substrates supplied by internal source</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="63">
			<td height="63" style="height:63px;width:203px;">Environmental Chamber</td>
			<td style="width:101px;"></td>
			<td style="width:97px;"></td>
			<td style="width:245px;">Custom Design. Full details on vacuum chamber specifications and materials included in reference 4.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="33">
			<td height="33" style="height:33px;width:203px;">bis(2-chloroethyl) sulfide</td>
			<td style="width:101px;">CASARM</td>
			<td style="width:97px;"></td>
			<td style="width:245px;">TOXIC</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="65">
			<td height="65" style="height:65px;width:203px;">O-ethyl S-[2-(diisopropylamino)ethyl] methylphosphonothioate</td>
			<td style="width:101px;">CASARM</td>
			<td style="width:97px;"></td>
			<td style="width:245px;">TOXIC</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="49">
			<td height="49" style="height:49px;width:203px;">Pipetter</td>
			<td style="width:101px;">Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>22260201</td>
			<td style="width:245px;">Range of 1.0 &#181;L to 10 mL</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:203px;">Pipetter Tips</td>
			<td style="width:101px;">Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td style="width:97px;">13-683-709</td>
			<td style="width:245px;">0.1 mL Volume</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="44">
			<td height="44" style="height:44px;width:203px;">Stainless Steel High Vacuum Experimental Chamber</td>
			<td style="width:101px;"></td>
			<td style="width:97px;"></td>
			<td style="width:245px;">Custom Design</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:203px;">Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer</td>
			<td style="width:101px;">ExTorr</td>
			<td style="width:97px;">RGA300</td>
			<td style="width:245px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:203px;">Stainless Steel Tweezers</td>
			<td style="width:101px;">McMaster Carr</td>
			<td style="width:97px;">5516A15</td>
			<td style="width:245px;">Any stainless steel tweezers are appropriate.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="84">
			<td height="84" style="height:84px;width:203px;">Glass Extraction Jar</td>
			<td style="width:101px;">Scientific Specialties</td>
			<td style="width:97px;">170808</td>
			<td style="width:245px;">Jar fits a ~5 cm diameter substrate.&#160; Different glass jars with teflon lined lids are appropriate for different sized substrates.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="63">
			<td height="63" style="height:63px;width:203px;">Chloroform</td>
			<td style="width:101px;">Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td style="width:97px;">650498</td>
			<td style="width:245px;">HARMFUL.&#160; The extraction solvent for HD may change depending on the analytical method.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="63">
			<td height="63" style="height:63px;width:203px;">Isopropanol</td>
			<td style="width:101px;">Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td style="width:97px;">650447</td>
			<td style="width:245px;">HARMFUL.&#160; The extraction solvent for VX may change depending on the analytical method.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:203px;">Pasteur Pipette</td>
			<td style="width:101px;">VWR</td>
			<td style="width:97px;">14673-010</td>
			<td style="width:245px;">size= 5 3/4&#34;</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

an inverse analysis approach to the characterization of chemical transport in paints

The ability to directly characterize chemical transport and interactions that occur within a material (i.e., subsurface dynamics) is a vital component in understanding contaminant mass transport and the ability to decontaminate materials. If a material is contaminated, over time, the transport of highly toxic chemicals (such as chemical warfare agent species) out of the material can result in vapor exposure or transfer to the skin, which can result in percutaneous exposure to personnel who interact with the material. Due to the high toxicity of chemical warfare agents, the release of trace chemical quantities is of significant concern. Mapping subsurface concentration distribution and transport characteristics of absorbed agents enables exposure hazards to be assessed in untested conditions. Furthermore, these tools can be used to characterize subsurface reaction dynamics to ultimately design improved decontaminants or decontamination procedures. To achieve this goal, an inverse analysis mass transport modeling approach was developed that utilizes time-resolved mass spectroscopy measurements of vapor emission from contaminated paint coatings as the input parameter for calculation of subsurface concentration profiles. Details are provided on sample preparation, including contaminant and material handling, the application of mass spectrometry for the measurement of emitted contaminant vapor, and the implementation of inverse analysis using a physics-based diffusion model to determine transport properties of live chemical warfare agents including distilled mustard (HD) and the nerve agent VX.

The top panel of Figure 3 displays examples of the calculated mass flux of VX and HD from SD-painted substrates based on time-resolved mass spectrometry for the main mass fragments of VX and HD (mass-to-charge ratio, m/z = 114 and 109, respectively). A quadrupole mass spectrometer has three main components: an ionizer, a mass analyzer or filter, and a charge detector. Gas species are ionized via electron impact ionization (hot filament style electron source), and the produced ions are i...

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An Inverse Analysis Approach to the Characterization of Chemical Transport in Paints

In this paper, a procedure for quantifying the mass transport parameters of chemicals in various materials is presented. This process involves employing an inverse-analysis based diffusion model to vapor emission profiles recorded by real-time, mass spectrometry in high vacuum.

The ability to directly characterize chemical transport and interactions that occur within a material (i.e., subsurface dynamics) is a vital component in ...

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8.3K Views.  U.S. Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center. In this paper, a procedure for quantifying the mass transport parameters of chemicals in various materials is presented. This process involves employing an inverse-analysis based diffusion model to vapor emission profiles recorded by real-time, mass spectrometry in high vacuum.