Sudan CW? An update from VERIFIN. In ASA 00-3, 30 June 2000, the CBD Porton Down provided ASA their analysis of samples from the southern Sudan village of Lainya which had been bombarded from the air on 23 July 1999. These samples had been collected by Mr. Damien Lewis (see ASA Newsletter 99-6). The below report, received by ASA just as ASA Newsletter 00-3 was being published, is VERIFIN's analysis of samples taken from the same village in Sudan. Note that both sets of independent scientific conclusions were the same.

Analysis of Samples from Sudan

Helsinki 20 June 2000. On 1 November 1999, VERIFIN received eight samples delivered by Mr. Damien Lewis, an independent journalist. Based on information provided by him to VERIFIN, the samples were collected on 17 August 1999 near the town Lainya in South Sudan. The village had been bombarded and local people assumed that chemicals, e.g. riot control agents, had been spread over the village. Health hazards experienced by the local people were described on a video. Photographs from the site were also shown. According to information given to VERIFIN, chain-of-custody procedures were followed from sample taking to their transportation for analysis. The samples consisted of 4 soil samples, 2 water samples, gloves used for packing of the samples, and a control soil sample. The samples were coded in the presence of the courier.

The samples were prepared and analysed by following the Recommended Operating Procedures used by VERIFIN in the OPCW Proficiency Tests. In addition to detecting the chemicals included in the Schedules of the Chemicals Weapons Convention, due to the reported symptoms of the victims, special emphasis was given to detecting arsenic-containing and other chemicals known to have been used as riot control agents or as a method of warfare.

Screening of the samples was performed using gas chromatography with nitrogen-phosphorous sensitive detector (GC/NPD), gas chromatography-electron impact/mass spectrometry (GC-EI/MS) and liquid chromatography-atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry (LC-APCI/MS).

Identification of the chemicals was obtained with two different spectrometric techniques, gas chromatography-electron impact/mass spectrometry (GC-EI/MS) and liquid chromatography-atmospheric pressure chemical ionization/tandem mass spectrometry (LC-APCI/MSMS). The estimated concentrations of the chemicals in the samples were based on analysis using GC-EI/MS. Specific laboratory tests were performed to seek clarification to the different colours found in the samples.

Analysis of the gloves, control soil sample and one water sample, revealed no relevant chemicals. Analysis of all soil samples and one water sample revealed the presence of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT). In addition to TNT, one soil sample contained the following degradation products of TNT: 1,8-dinitronaphthalene, 1-nitronaphthalene and 1,5-dinitronaphthalene.

The estimated concentration of the TNT in the samples varied from 6 mg/kg to 450 000 mg/kg. The health hazards described in literature for TNT and its degradation products, match quite well with the symptoms described by the victims.

Marjatta Rautio
Director of VERIFIN

Paula Vanninen
Research Director of VERIFIN

Editor's Note: We are thankful that we have such outstanding laboratories as Finland's VERIFIN and the UK's CBD Porton Down. These exceptionally well known and respected institutions were willing to provide their analytical expertise and time on the collected samples while Mr. Lewis was willing to collect the samples in a hostile environment. This is in sharp contrast to the UN, which refused to pursue the matter because of purely political considerations; and, this was after the UN's own workers in the field had requested the UN to investigate.

00-4, issue no. 79