Decontamination procedure

Decontamination is a process that is site specific. Meteorological conditions may, at times, have an effect on the decontamination process. Rainy conditions may produce mud. The mud not only makes the work more 

A tremendous amount of work has to be done to make sure that effective decontamination is accomplished. However, the site decontamination process should be constantly reviewed to make sure of its effectiveness. This process should be continuous. 

We do not attempt to discuss in depth decontamination methods for radiological wastes. A health physicist should be immediately available to assist with decontamination of radioactively contaminated personnel or equipment. 

Our discussion here is for the typical petroleum-based waste or low hazard chemical waste. For this situation we prefer the common-sense approach to the handling of hazardous materials. Wliatever process is effective in making sure that the hazardous materials stay on the site and are disposed of in an appropriate manner should be utilized. 

The typical decontamination may include removing any gross contamination in the exclusion zone using equipment that will stay in the EZ (for instance, a hand scraper, a wire brush, etc.). Once gross contamination is removed, the worker (or equipment) might go to the decon pad where washing with a scrub brush, soap, and water might take place. Chapter 10 provides an in-depth discussion of decontamination and work zones. 

Demonstration in Decontamination Procedures for civilians. Men in protective clothing and gas masks mark off gassed area. Chemical Warfare School, Edgewood Arsenal, Md. 

During the fall of 1941, in response to insistent demands, the Chemical Warfare School extended its civilian defense instruction into nearby areas. This step was taken as an aid in the protection of industrial plants against aerial attack, a matter of utmost concern at the time. The work involved demonstrations and seminars at Boston, Princeton, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh. The course at Princeton consisted of a two-day session conducted for the special benefit of CWS Reserve officers who were preparing for active participation in the New Jersey state civil defense program. 

Reserve officers contributed materially to the development of civilian defense at this early stage, especially in the East. Notable in this connection was the work of Col. J. Enrique Zanetti, a CWS Reserve officer and Columbia University professor, who wrote and lectured extensively on this subject and demonstrated the burning of incendiaries before many interested groups. Local officials charged with developing civilian defense organiza- 

As finally organized, the general Civilian Defense Course included nine subcourses as follows  

Aerial Attack (7 hours) To acquaint the student with the general features of aerial action, including hostile operations and military countermeasures thereto—thus leading to a clearer conception of the factors in modern war which necessitate development of civilian protection. 

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Fig. 2. Overgarment issued to troops operating in forward areas (19) that do not have access to or time to use any type of decontamination procedures.

Decontamination. If contaminated equipment or material does not have to be used immediately, natural aeration is an effective decontaminant procedure, as most chemical agents, including the bHster and V-agents, are volatile to a certain degree. Wind accelerates their evaporation and hastens their dissipation. Rain and dew may also cause sufficient hydrolysis of some agents. Sunlight increases the surface temperatures of military equipment and thus accelerates agent evaporation. 

Develop and implement appropriate cleaning and decontamination procedures... 

Total enclosure may be in the form of a room with grilles to facilitate air flow this functions as a hood and operates under a slight negative pressure with controls located externally. Entry is restricted and usually entails use of comprehensive personal protective equipment. Ancillary requirements may include air filters/scmbbers, atmospheric monitoring, decontamination procedures and a permit-to-work system (see page 417). 

For minor medical problems or injuries, normal decontamination procedures are to be followed [2]. 

The contractor s SSAHP for Site C contained task- and operation-specific hazard analyses and safety and health procedures that covered general operations, but they were not specific enough for prescribing control methods and PPE for each job task. The plan identified some safety hazards for each operation but did not describe SOPs for protecting employees from these hazards. The SSAHP did, however, contain personnel and equipment decontamination procedures used at the site. 

The SSAHP for Site A contained procedures and practices that did not reflect actual practices employed by workers onsite. Examples included PPE requirements, decontamination procedures, and work zone identification procedures. 

Contractors at Sites C and H had acceptable programs for monitoring the effectiveness of PPE and decontamination procedures. The Site H contractor had established PPE and decontamination programs consistent with HAZWOPER requirements. The Site C contractor developed decontamination procedures that included specifications for periodically evaluating the effectiveness of decontamination methods... 

At Site I, personnel and equipment decontamination procedures were not monitored for their effectiveness in accordance with HAZ-WOPER requirements. The Site I subcontractor did not have provisions for particulate sampling, evaluating exposure to pesticides and herbicides, or evaluating the effectiveness of site zone boundaries and personnel decontamination procedures. Additionally, monitoring had not been conducted to verify that decontamination was not necessary for employees who leave the exclusion zone and enter a clean zone without undergoing decontamination. 

Clean up in such a way tliat the hazardous material is removed and does not produce a future danger. It may be necessary to pump out a hazardous liquid or to remove contaminated soil, etc. Decontamination procedures may be necessaiy. See EPA s Standard Operating Safety Guides for instructions for decontamination required following exposure to different danger levels of liazmds... 

Jech JJ, Berry JR, Breitenstein BD. 1983. 1976 Hanford americium exposure incident External decontamination procedures. Health Phys 45(4) 873-881. 

The facility would use a dry scrubber system for emission control, which would eliminate the need for wastewater treatment. Any water from emission control and from decontamination procedures would be treated in the on-site groundwater treatment system. The residual soil and collected ash is assumed to be nonhazardous and can be disposed of in a solid waste disposal facility in compliance with subtitle D of RCRA. In the event that they cannot be delisted due to the presence of metals, the residuals will be managed as part of the closure of Area 2 shown in Figure 16.21 (lead-contaminated soil). 

At a hazardous waste site, remediation and decontamination facilities should be located in the CRZ, that is, the area between the exclusion zone (the contaminated area) and the support zone (the clean area). The level and types of remediation and decontamination procedures required depend on several site-specific factors ... 

Decontamination procedures must provide an organized process by which levels of contamination are reduced. The decontamination process should consist of a series of procedures performed in a specific sequence. Each procedure should be performed at a separate station in order to prevent cross-contamination. The sequence of stations is called the decontamination line. 

A publication summarises all the then available technical evidence related to the Seveso accident, and recommends operational criteria to ensure safety in commercial processes to produce trichlorophenol [4], All the plant scale incidents were characterised [ 1 ] by the subsequent occurrence of chloracne arising from the extremely toxic and dermatitic compound 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzodioxin (structure IX, p. S-3), formed dining the thermal runaway reaction and dispersed in the ensuing explosion. It is also extremely resistant to normal chemical decontamination procedures, and after the 1968 explosion, further cases occurred after transient contact with plant... 

Countries and groups that lack access to nuclear weapons may still have opportunities to obtain radioactive materials such as spent nuclear fuel. A bomb in which a conventional explosive charge causes dispersal of radioactive material is known as a dirty bomb. Such a device could result in psychological effects exceeding the physical damage it caused. Once again, new techniques are needed for detection (of both the explosive and radioactive material), and decontamination procedures would be essential if such a device were used. 

Specific information on decontaminating bicyclophosphates has not been published. Apply universal decontamination procedures using soap and water. 

Apply universal decontamination procedures using soap and water. 

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