Detoxification of organophosphorus pesticides and nerve agents through RSDL: Efficacy evaluation by 31P NMR spectroscopy

•Development of a 31P NMR spectroscopy based methodology to analyze the degradation of organophosphorus pesticides and nerve agents by RSDL.•Identification of degradation products to elucidate the degradation mechanism.•Investigation of degradation kinetics to evaluate RSDL detoxification efficacy.

Intoxication by organophosphorus compounds, especially by pesticides, poses a considerable risk to the affected individual. Countermeasures involve both medical intervention by means of antidotes as well as external decontamination to reduce the risk of dermal absorption. One of the few decontamination options available is Reactive Skin Decontamination Lotion (RSDL), which was originally developed for military use. Here, we present a 31P NMR spectroscopy based methodology to evaluate the detoxification efficacy of RSDL with respect to a series of organophosphorus pesticides and nerve agents. Kinetic analysis of the obtained NMR data provided degradation half-lives proving that RSDL is also reasonably effective against organophosphorus pesticides. Unexpected observations of different RSDL degradation patterns are presented in view of its reported oximate-catalyzed mechanism of action.