Chemical defense equipment

The toxicity associated with SM is quite profound. The Army s Chemical Defense Equipment Process Action Team estimated in 1994 that a 900 mg-min/m SM vapor exposure would be lethal in 2-10 min, based on animal studies (National Research Council Review, 1997). Fortunately, in the battlefield, lethality has been limited. Only 1-3% of exposed soldiers died from SM exposure after WWI, and mortality mostly was not a direct consequence of SM, but rather the indirect effect of secondary respiratory infections. The 1999 Material Safety Data Sheet, put out by the US Army Soldier and Biological Chemical Command, USA Edgewood Chemical Biological Center, has estimated the LD50 of a skin exposure to sullur mustard as lOOmg/kg. This roughly translates into as little as 7 ml of neat SM (i.e. 8.9 g) spread over the skin resulting in the death of a 80 kg adult (Department of the Army, MSDS, 1999). The cornea, of course, is more sensitive than the skin. Below we review three chief toxic effects of severe SM exposure to the cornea. 

ACE Directive 80-14. Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Defense Equipment Operational Guidelines. 

This chapter focuses primarily on the development of chemical and biological weapons and countermeasures to them, thus setting the stage for Chapter 3, Historical Aspects of Medical Defense Against Chemical Warfare, which concentrates on medical aspects of chemical warfare. To avoid excessive duplication of material, protective equipment of the modern era is illustrated in Chapter 16, Chemical Defense Equipment.—Eds.]... 

With limited resources available, the major tasks of the BAS are to provide lifesaving care and to prepare the casualty for evacuation. By necessity these must be short, simple procedures. After receiving care in a low-echelon MTF, the casualty is evacuated in a clean vehicle to a higher echelon for further care. If clean vehicles are not available, the casualty may be placed in a patient protective wrap and evacuated in a dirty vehicle (see Figure 16-42 in Chapter 16, Chemical Defense Equipment). At higher echelons, the treatment area will be located in a collective protection shelter otherwise, this should be at least 100 m upwind from the receiving area. 

One criterion for the selection and use of protective equipment items is the need for joint service use, although there are some differences between the missions of air and ground crews that must be accommodated. This chapter is not intended to be all-encompassing in chemical defense equipment rather, it is intended to describe the items and operations that are of greatest interest to the medical community. 

The following sections address each of the protection areas described above in detail, with the current equipment items featured and items in development that are designed to overcome the deficiencies of present equipment briefly described. Sufficient technical data are included to allow the healthcare professional to become familiar with the operation, components, and the limitations of the present chemical defense equipment. Should the interested reader desire more detail on chemical defense equipment, several sources are available. First, the written references and expert consultants to this chapter are sources of vast amounts of information. Possibly of more value to the healthcare professional is the nuclear, biological, and chemical (NBC) officer who is an integral part of each combat element and who is available to provide detailed advice as well as hands-on assistance. 

Several tangential issues must be noted that impact on the area of chemical defense equipment, especially in the future. First, a continuing intelli-... 

An integrated system of chemical defense equipment is required if we are to be successful in providing an adequate protective posture for all forces. The principal elements of that system include the following ... 

Personal protective equipment, consisting of a properly fitted mask and overgarment with gloves and boots as required. This equipment is the most critical component of chemical defense equipment, the first line of defense. 

US Army Armament Munitions and Chemical Command. Chemical Defensive Equipment (General Information Booklet). Rock Island, Ill Materiel Management Directorate, HQ, US Army Armament Munitions and Chemical Command October 1984. 

Dodd, N. L. Chemical Defense Equipment , M//7ary Review, vol. LVII, no. 11, November 1977. 

Okumura T, Nomura T, Suzuki T et al (2007) The Dark Morning the experiences and lessons learned from the Tokyo sarin attack In Marrs Tc, Maynard RL, Sidell FR (eds) Chemical warfare agents toxicology and treatment, chap 13. Wiley, Chichester Rimpel LY, Boehm DE, O FIem MR et al (2008) Chemical defense equipment. In Tuorinsky SD (ed) Medical aspects of chemical warfare, chap 17. Office of the Surgeon General, US Army, Borden Institute, Washington, DC, pp 559-592... 

Zajtchuk, R.M.C., Bellamy, R.F. (1997) Chemical defense equipment, in Textbook of Military Medicine Medical Aspects of Chemical and Biological Warfare, Office of the Surgeon General. 

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