§ The Countess of Marasked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the colour of fuming nitric acid observed by the naked eye; whether fuming nitric acid contains phosgene (ca) and phosgene oxine (cx); and what signs and symptoms they would expect to observe in an individual exposed to a few droplets of liquid nitric acid within five minutes of exposure.
§ Lord HenleyThis is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment. I have therefore asked him to reply.
Letter to the Countess of Mar from the Chief Executive of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment, Dr. Graham Pearson, dated 8 December 1994:
1. Your Parliamentary Question to Her Majesty's Government asking what is the colour of fuming nitric acid observed by the naked eye; whether fuming nitric acid contains phosgene (ca) and phosgene oxime (cx); and what signs and symptoms would they 102WA expect to observe in an individual exposed to a few droplets of liquid nitric acid within five minutes of exposure has been passed to me to answer as Chief Executive of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment.2. Fuming nitric acid is yellowish in colour and produces yellow brown fumes on exposure to the air. Nitric acid is normally produced by reaction of nitrogen dioxide with water and contains no carbon containing molecules. It does not contain phosgene (for which the code is CG) or phosgene oxime (CX). Neither of these would be stable in fuming nitric acid.3. A few droplets of liquid nitric acid on the skin will cause immediate pain and blistering. The fumes from nitric acid will cause immediate irritation and pain in the eye, airway irritation, cough and possibly chest pain.
§ The Countess of Marasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether three colour detector paper would respond to exposure to fuming nitric acid, and if so, what colour will it show.
§ Lord HenleyThree colour detector paper is designed to respond to liquid CW agent by turning red (blister), yellow (non persistent nerve) or green (persistent nerve) depending on the agent; it will not respond to vapour. Application of liquid concentrated nitric or liquid "fuming" nitric acid to the paper would result only in a darkening of the area contaminated by the liquid which would not be interpreted as an agent response.
§ The Countess of Marasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether Computer-Aided Measurement and Control (CAM) monitors are designed to detect nitric acid, and if so, what reading would they expect to find on a CAM monitor directed at fuming nitric acid.
§ Lord HenleyWe have no record of a Computer Aided Measurement and Control instrument in the inventory of any United Kingdom Service; it is assumed that the question refers to the Chemical Agent Monitor (CAM). CAM is not designed to detect fuming nitric acid. Laboratory tests have, however, shown that if the instrument is exposed to the concentrated brown fumes from fuming nitric acid then a reading might be achieved indicating the presence of a low concentration of H (blister) agent.