Aerosols protective agents

Air-poUutant effects on neural and sensory functions in humans vary widely. Odorous pollutants cause only minor annoyance yet, if persistent, they can lead to irritation, emotional upset, anorexia, and mental depression. Carbon monoxide can cause death secondary to the depression of the respiratory centers of the central nervous system. Short of death, repeated and prolonged exposure to carbon monoxide can alter sensory protection, temporal perception, and higher mental functions. Lipid-soluble aerosols can enter the body and be absorbed in the lipids of the central nervous system. Once there, their effects may persist long after the initial contact has been removed. Examples of agents of long-term chronic effects are organic phosphate pesticides and aerosols carrying the metals lead, mercury, and cadmium. 

In addition, even where foaming is not a specific problem in a boiler, carryover may occur, especially in lower pressure boilers with very high TDS (i.e., over 10,000 to 15,000 ppm TDS) because of the collapse of surface bubbles. This leads to BW aerosol generation and entrainment of the spray in steam. Under these circumstances, antifoam agents such as polyamides are useful in preventing these entrainment problems. Furthermore, the antifoaming action of polyamides is often enhanced by protective colloid materials such as tannins, and consequently, formulations containing polyamide emulsions in an alkaline tannin base are available. 

Field protection The principles applied to the nerve agents apply equally as well to the incapacitating agents. It is possible that such agents will be disseminated by smoke-producing munitions or aerosols, using the respiratory tract as a route of entry. The use of protective mask, therefore, is essential. The skin is usually a much less effective route. 

The anthrax bioterrorist attacks that followed the events of September 11th 2001 resulted in a renewed interest BadUus anthracis, the causative agent of this disease. Research has focused on the development of better vaccines than the one currently available. It has been estimated that the aerosolized release of 100 kg of anthrax spores upwind of Washington DC would cause mortalities of 130,000-3,000,000 [63]. Nonetheless, wild-type Bacillus anthracis is susceptible to conventional antibiotics, including penicillin, oxyfloxacin and ciprofloxacin. The problem lies not with the bacterial infection itself, but with three proteins released by the bacteria - protective antigen (PA, 83 kDa), lethal factor (LF, 90 kDa) and edema factor (EF, 89 kDa) -known as anthrax toxins [63]. 

Immediately dangerous to life or health (IDLH) levels are the ceiling limit for respirators other than SCBAs. However, IDLH levels have not been established for carbamate nerve agents. Therefore, any potential exposure to aerosols of these agents should be regarded with extreme caution and the use of SCBAs for respiratory protection should be considered. 

In the event that dermally hazardous toxins have been released, responders should wear a Level A protective ensemble. Also, because of the extreme hazard posed by toxin aerosols to any area of cut or lacerated skin, responders should wear a Level A protective ensemble whenever there is any potential for exposure to airborne agent. 

Gather important information the agent used was it aerosol, liquid, gas, powder or vapor location method of delivery do you have the necessary personal protective equipment (PPE) to deal with the hazard, or have you called for assistance by a specialized team are you sure that anyone who enters a contaminated area has the proper PPE and is trained in its use be sure to establish control — keep all victims, non-victims and bystanders at the crime scene (if there is any suspicion of an attack) until it is determined who among them may be a terrorist or a witness perform decontamination, triage if necessary, isolation, quarantine, search and locate evidence, maintain chain of control, and collect samples. 

Vaccines The currently available inactivated whole cell vaccine is not recommended for protection from a biological warfare agent since it does not protect laboratory animals from aerosolized plague. However, the vaccine is effective in preventing bubonic plague in persons in endemic or epidemic areas. 

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