Biological agents field decontamination

No field instruments are capable of measuring to the concentration of a chemical or biological agent on decontaminated surfaces consistent with acceptable long-term exposure levels. Work should be started to develop equipment and test procedures that become a part of the decontamination toolkit. Most desirable would be a standoff surface scanning capability. 

No field instruments are capable of measuring to acceptable long-term exposure levels the concentration of a chemical or biological agent on decontaminated surfaces. 

USAMRICD s Field Management of Chemical Casualties. This handbook provides concise supplemental reading material for attendees at the Field Management of Chemical and Biological Casualties. It includes the effects of chemical and biological agents and decontamination. 

Medical Classification, Probable Form of Dissemination, Detection in the Field, Infective Dose, Incubation Time, Persistence, Personal Protection, Routes of Entry to the Body, Per-son-to-Person Transmissible, Duration of Illness, Potential Ability to Kill, Defensive Measures, Vaccines, Drugs Available, and Decontamination. In each case, for both Chemical and Biological agents, each agent will have guidelines laid out within the book. 

The M291 resin kit and 0.5% hypochlorite for chemical casualty decontamination are currently fielded by the U.S. military. The M291 kit is new, whereas hypochlorite solution has been around since World War I. The M291 kit is our best universal dry decontaminant for skin. Fresh 0.5% hypochlorite solution with an alkaline pH is our universal liquid decontaminating agent and is recommended for all biological agents. 

Fig. 2-27. Cleaning up mustard agent in the field with bleaching powder and soil. The labor-intensive nature of mustard decontamination is readily apparent. Note that the exercise is being conducted in the winter no doubt the chemical protective garments shown here would have constituted a considerable thermal load. Photograph Chemical and Biological Defense Command Historical Research and Response Team, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md.

An improved version of the World War I orchard sprayer decontamination apparatus was fielded to provide ground and equipment decontamination. It could also be used for plain water showers for soldiers (Figure 2-39). For treatment of gas casualties, the CWS standardized the M5 Protective Ointment Kit. This kit came in a small, waterproof container and held four tubes of M5 Protective Ointment wrapped in cheesecloth and a tube of BAL (British anti-Lewisite) Eye Ointment. The protective ointment was used to liberate chlorine to neutralize vesicant agents on the skin. The BAL ointment neutralized Lewisite in and around the eye by changing it to a nontoxic compound. Over 25 million of the kits were procured for the army.26 35 105 Biological Warfare Program... 

After World War II, as western defense became increasingly based on the threatened use of nuclear weapons, the Chemical Corps s mission expanded to include radiological protection as well as chemical and biological research and development. At the same time, the Corps concentrated on producing and fielding nerve agent weapons and the assorted detection and decontamination equipment required. 

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