Chemical Decontamination Training Facility

CDC Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDTF Chemical Decontamination Training Facility CF complement fixation... 

One problem the Johnston Atoll facility did experience was some schedule slippage because of maintenance downtime. This was due to technical and mechanical problems with various equipment and the need for more training of certain personnel. These problems did not affect the Army s ability to destroy or decontaminate chemical weapons within EPA s standards—-just the rate at which destruction occurred. 

Decontamination procedures must be well known to all chemical workers. The training class should present the M258 and M291 kits and their contents and make clear the use of household bleach in the decontamination process. Current doctrine specifies that in a tactical environment 0.5% bleach be used for skin decontamination. In depot operations, however, 5% bleach is used. This stronger concentration may be used because workers exposed at the depot will be decontaminated and then thoroughly rinsed in a fixed facility in a relatively short time. Soldiers in the field, however, may be decontaminated several times and not be rinsed thoroughly for several hours. Repeated applications of 5% bleach without a complete and thorough rinse will cause skin injury. 

The removal of solid or liquid chemical agent from exposed individuals is the first step in preventing severe injury or death. Civilian Hazmat teams generally have basic decontamination plans in place, though proficiency may vary widely. Very few teams are staffed, equipped, or trained for mass decontamination. Hospitals need to be prepared to decontaminate patients, despite plans that call for field decontamination of all patients before transport to hospitals. However, few hospitals have formal decontamination facilities even fewer have dedicated outdoor facilities or an easy way of expanding their decontamination operations in an event involving mass casualties. 

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