Handbook of Chemical and Biological Warfare Agents

Rating:
Summary: Great Resource
Review: I once ordered a book from CBIAC on survivability of materials to CBW Agents. From all descriptions, I believed it to be something that discussed various materials and mechanisms of failure. Unfortunately, it turned out to be nothing more than a list of materials with a rating code.

Handbook is a bit better. However, don't purchase this if you are expecting to read a book on CBW Agents and wanting a better understanding of the topic. Handbook is written sort of like those manuals you find on any truck caring hazardous materials...a list of UN codes, chemical names, and safe distances for spills. Overall, the intent seems to be a presentation of CBW Agents in the same format as typically used for occupational health and safety (TWA's, etc.)

I applaud the author for his thoroughness. He described Nerve Agent GP (actually GP11) of the GV Series with information that is not readily available. As usual, the Novichok agents have been misrepresented as a class of chemicals (it's a technique), with no more detail than what has been previously described.

The first section of the book is an index of all the various nomenclature applied to CBW Agents (military symbols, trivial names, other designations etc.) Following this section is a series of brief excerpts on each agent. Nothing in-depth on these agents, and the toxicology information (if available) is pretty much limited to the No-Effect thresholds used for occupational health. Subsequent sections treat each broad category of agents with information typical in MSDS's - very generic.

What most readers will find difficult about this book is that it is likened to indexes to indexes, and then once you find what you are looking for - it's more generic than most readers would prefer.

Rating:
Summary: Accurate, but not what you might expect.
Review: I once ordered a book from CBIAC on survivability of materials to CBW Agents. From all descriptions, I believed it to be something that discussed various materials and mechanisms of failure. Unfortunately, it turned out to be nothing more than a list of materials with a rating code.

Handbook is a bit better. However, don't purchase this if you are expecting to read a book on CBW Agents and wanting a better understanding of the topic. Handbook is written sort of like those manuals you find on any truck caring hazardous materials...a list of UN codes, chemical names, and safe distances for spills. Overall, the intent seems to be a presentation of CBW Agents in the same format as typically used for occupational health and safety (TWA's, etc.)

I applaud the author for his thoroughness. He described Nerve Agent GP (actually GP11) of the GV Series with information that is not readily available. As usual, the Novichok agents have been misrepresented as a class of chemicals (it's a technique), with no more detail than what has been previously described.

The first section of the book is an index of all the various nomenclature applied to CBW Agents (military symbols, trivial names, other designations etc.) Following this section is a series of brief excerpts on each agent. Nothing in-depth on these agents, and the toxicology information (if available) is pretty much limited to the No-Effect thresholds used for occupational health. Subsequent sections treat each broad category of agents with information typical in MSDS's - very generic.

What most readers will find difficult about this book is that it is likened to indexes to indexes, and then once you find what you are looking for - it's more generic than most readers would prefer.

Rating:
Summary: A bit disappointing
Review: The fact that it was published by CRC Press may have led me to set my expectations a bit high, and I felt let down by this handbook. There were some surprising deficiencies - CAS registry numbers were absent for some of the chemical agents, for instance. I was particularly disappointed by the section on the Novichok agents, which was essentially a repeat of the newspaper comments of Mirzayanov. On the plus side, it covers all the common CW agents, some uncommon CW agents (although the basis for their selection is unclear), some industrial materials and CW agent precursors, and a fair selection of BW agents and toxins for a total of 348 agents. On the minus side, it provides only very limited data on each, stacking them at more than 3/page. The class indexes contain some useful information, but are necessarily very general. The 100 pages of reprints of ERG guidlines are probably not needed. The section on weapon markings is interesting, but limited to US weapons only, and lacks illustrations. The first 110+ pages do contain a potentially useful list of synonyms, although again, the selection criteria are not clear. The glossary is reasonably complete. PPE data is only a single page. The sample collection section is vague about what to do with collected samples. Probably useful (along with FM 3-9) for poison control facilities and the libraries of emergency management agencies, but not laid out (hardbound, difficult to keep open to a page) or complete enough (volatilities,vapor pressures are given for only one temperature, for instance) for field use.

Rating:
Summary: Great Resource
Review: This book is a wealth of information that emergency responders will be hard pressed to find complied anywhere else. The book cleverly adopts several widely used formats in presenting information unique to chemical and biological agents. These formats, which are familiar to emergency response personnel, allow for easy and rapid access to relevant hazard information. The Class Indexes are formatted to look like an MSDS, and the Agent Indexes are modeled after NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards. Finally, the Alphabetical Index of agents is probably the most complete listing of agents and their synonyms that can be found.

Rating:
Summary: THE Authoritative Reference on CBW Agents
Review: Without a doubt the most comprehensive collection of chemical and physical data on CBW agents of today and times past. This book is an invaluable field tool for anyone tasked with public safety. Well organized facts can help a first responder predict how an agent will react.

Rating:
Summary: THE Authoritative Reference on CBW Agents
Review: Without a doubt the most comprehensive collection of chemical and physical data on CBW agents of today and times past. This book is an invaluable field tool for anyone tasked with public safety. Well organized facts can help a first responder predict how an agent will react.