Civilian personal protective equipment

Scope of protection at shore establishments and bases. Defining acceptable levels of risk is important not just at sea but also in shore-based facilities. Since such installations house civilians and dependents in addition to military personnel, questions arise as to who should be issued personal protective equip-... 

There are important differences between on-target military attacks against relatively well-protected armed forces and nerve agent attacks initiated by terrorists against a civilian population. In contrast to military personnel, civilians are unlikely to be pre-treated with pyridostigmine and protected by personal protective equipment (PPE). Furthermore, the time after exposure when specific therapy can first be administered to civilians is likely to be delayed. Even conservative estimates suggest a delay between exposure and the first administration of atropine/oxime of at least 30 min. The clinical importance of this delay is discussed below. 

Research and development in personal protective equipment has yielded vastly improved protection for the military and, to some extent, civilian first responders. However, the use of even the most up-to-date respirator is greatly restricted by the necessity of air monitoring, time of exposure limitations, and relatively low protection factors. Civilian first responders are also hampered by the weight, size, and heat of the protective suits. Aside from issues surrounding the equipment itself, policy and regulation also influence use and effectiveness of personal protective equipment. As listed below, the committee recommends that research and development continue to focus on better and more effective equipment, but also recommends that current policy and procedures be reviewed as well. 

Force Protection—Security program developed to protect service members, civilian employees, family members, facilities and equipment, in all locations and situations, through the planned and integrated application of combating terrorism, physical security, operations security, personal protective services supported by intelligence, counterintelligence, and other security programs. 

Our personal civilian security is greatly enhanced by many contributions from chemistry and chemical engineering, often through integrated R D efforts with teams of scientists from many disciplines. Law enforcement employs forensic tools that rely heavily on chemical analysis, and emergency response teams use a variety of protective clothing and equipment that rely on modern materials chemistry and engineering. As mentioned above, individual security extends to chemical detection methods in the home. 

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