I__. - International Military Testing Association

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Subjective and Cognitive Reactions to Atropine/2-PAM,
Heat, and BDU/MOPP-IV
John L. Kobrick, Richard F. Johnson, and Donna J. McMenemy
US Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine
Natick, Massachusetts 01760-5007
The current US armed forces nerve agent antidote is a
combination of 2 mg atropine sulfate (atropine) and 600 mg
pralidoxime chloride (2-PAM) administered by paired intramuscular
injections. Although these drugs provide good physical
protection, they have side effects which could lead to adverse
subjective reactions and Impaired performance (Taylor, 1980).
The major physiological reactions to atropine alone
(Marzulli & Cope, 19501, and to atropine in combination with heat
stress (Kolka, Stephenson, Bruttig, Cadarette, & Gonzalez, 1987)
have been identified. Effects on psychological, perceptual, and
cognitive behavior are less clear, although some performanceoriented
studies have been reported (Baker, et al., 1983; Moylan-
Jones, 1969; Penetar & Henningfield, 1986; Wetherell, 1980). The
physiological effects of P-PAM alone and in combination with
atropine have also been studied (Holland, Kemp, & Wetherell,
19781. Much less is known about associated psychological and
perceptual effects (Headley, 19821, although such knowledge is
essential in view of their paired use as the standard nerve agent
antidote.
Chemical warfare in tropic and desert areas also creates
problems due to heat stress, especially when troops must wear
MOPP-IV chemical protective clothing, since the total
encapsulation of that ensemble traps heat and body moisture.
This paper reports subjective symptoms, mood changes, and
cognitive performance observed during a research project on the
effects of heat exposure, atropine/2-PAM administration, and
wearing of both the BDU and MOPP-IV ensembles. The overall
project consisted of two separate studies which were identical
except that the BDU ensemble was worn in one of the studies, and
the MOPP-IV ensemble was worn in the other study.
Study 1. Effects of Atropine/2-PAM and Heat on Symptomatic, Mood,
and Cognitive Reactions While Wearing the BDU Ensemble
Method
Fifteen male soldiers, ages 18-32 years, were screened
medically and were tested for normal vision and hearing. They
were trained intensively 6 hours dally for 5 consecutive days on
a battery of performance tasks and then performed the task8 on 4
separate test days, each day corresponding to one of the
following experimental test conditions: (a) control (saline
placebo, 70°F 121.1°C1 30% RH); (b) drug only (2 mg atPOPine,
600 mg 2-PAM, 70°F E21:1°C3
(saline placebo, 95'F [3!j"cj,
30% RH); (c) ambient heat only
60% RH); and (dl drug and ambient
. .