Decontamination protective clothing

Commerciai iaundries or cieaning estab-iishments. Commercial laundries or cleaning establishments that decontaminate protective clothing or equipment shall be informed of the potentially harmful effects of exposures to hazardous substances. 

Site personnel, including contractor personnel, should be specifically trained and qualified in the use of protective clothing and special protective equipment, as appropriate. Those persons handling, issuing or decontaminating protective clothing and respiratory protective equipment should also be appropriately instructed. 

They may be incompatible with the clothing or equipment being decontaminated (e.g., some organic solvents can permeate or degrade protective clothing)... 

Lawson, J. Randall, and Theodore L. Jarboe. Aid for Decontamination of Fire and Rescue Service Protective Clothing and Equipment After Chemical, Biological, and Radiological Exposures, NIST Special Publication 981. Washington, DC Government Printing Office, 2002. 

Individual protection means and decontamination products in reserve - replacement of both isolating and filtrating protective clothing, canister filters and SCBA cylinders... 

Matousek J. Problem of decontamination of clothing on man. 6th International Sympos. on Protection against CBW Agents. Stockholm 1998.Proceedings, vol. 1. NDRC, Dept, of NBC Defence Umea 1998, pp. 255-256. 

Hazardous Materials Response Team(s) Establish the HazMat Group, and Provide Technical information/Assistance to Command, EMS Providers, Hospitals, and Law Enforcement. Detect/Monitor to Identify the Agent, Determine Concentrations and Ensure Proper Control Zones. Continually Reassess Control Zones, Enter the Hot Zone (with chemical personal protective clothing) to Perform Rescue, Product Information, and Reconnaissance. Product Control/Mitigation may be implemented in Conjunction with Expert Technical Guidance. Improve Hazardous Environments Ventilation, Control HVAC, Control Utilities. Implement a Technical Decontamination Corridor for Hazardous Materials Response Team (HMRT) Personnel. Coordinate and Assist with Mass Decontamination. Provide Specialized Equipment as Necessary. Assist Law Enforcement Personnel with Evidence Preservation/Collection, Decontamination. 

Decontamination Soap and water, or diluted sodium hypochlorite solution (0.5 percent). Removal of potentially contaminated clothing should be done by people in full protective clothing in an area away from non-contaminated persons. For victims with bubonic plague, drainage, and secretion procedures need to be employed. Careful treatment of buboes is required to avoid aerosolizing infectious material. For victims with pneumonic plague, strict isolation is absolutely necessary. Heat, disinfectants and sunlight renders bacteria harmless. 

Spill/Leak Disposal If leaks or spills of Sarin occur, only personnel in full protective clothing will remain in the area. Spills must be contained by covering with vermiculite, diatomaceous earth, clay, fine sand, sponges, and paper or cloth towels. Decontaminate with copious amounts of aqueous sodium hydroxide solution (a minimum of 10 wt.%). Scoop up all material and place it in a DOT approved container. Cover the contents with decontamination solution as above. After sealing, the exterior will be decontaminated and labeled according to EPA and DOT regulations. All leaking containers will be over packed with sorbent (e.g., vermiculite) placed between the interior and exterior containers. 

WASTE DISPOSAL METHOD All decontaminated material should be collected, contained and chemically decontaminated or thermally decomposed in an EPA approved incinerator, which will filter or scrub toxic by-products from effluent air before discharge to the atmosphere. Any contaminated protective clothing should be decontaminated using HTH or bleach and analyzed to assure it is free of detectable contamination (3X) level. The clothing should then be sealed in plastic bags inside properly labeled drums and held for shipment back to the DA issue point. Decontamination of waste or excess material shall be accomplished in accordance with the procedures outlined above with the following exception ... 

Personal and collective protection measures. Research is required to determine how to use new materials and methods to develop protective clothing, new drags and vaccines, and infrastructure protection (air filters, stronger construction materials, decontaminants). 

Decontamination This term refers to the removal of hazardous materials from personnel and equipment to the extent necessary to prevent potential adverse health effects. Contaminated clothing and equipment should be removed after use and stored in a controlled area (referred to as the hot zone) until cleanup procedures can be initiated. In some cases, protective clothing and equipment cannot be decontaminated and must be disposed of in a proper manner. 

Armour, M.A. et al., Decontamination of spills and residues of pesticides and protective clothing worn during their handling, Proceedings of the Pacific Basin Conference on Hazardous Waste Research, Kuala Lampur, Malaysia, 1996, 44. 

Decontamination level 1X (X) indicates the item has been partially decontaminated of agent. Further decontamination processes are required before the item is moved or any maintenance or repair is performed without the use of chemical protective clothing and equipment. This degree generally shall be applied to the item as it stands used and subjected only to routine cleaning after use. 

Spent decontamination solution (SDS) consists of caustic or bleach-based aqueous solutions that have been used in the decontamination of personal protective clothing or the operations areas. SDS may also result from rinsing drained TCs or munition cavities. These solutions are captured and stored for treatment and disposal, either on-site or off-site. SDS typically contains less than 1 percent levels of sodium chloride and organic decomposition products from agent hydrolysis. 

Disaster events may create a sudden influx of patients who have been exposed to a chemical, radiation, or other hazard that requires decontamination. Protecting nurses and other health care workers who respond to chemical or hazardous materials (HAZMAT) mass casualty incidents is critical. Patient decontamination is an organized method of removing residual contaminants from the victim s skin and clothing and should be performed whenever known or suspected contamination has occurred with a hazardous substance through contact with either aerosols, solids, or liquids. The degree of decontamination performed will... 

Medical personnel, in many cases, failed to take appropriate precautions. At least 42 technicians failed to wear protective clothing when working with contaminated patients or in contaminated rooms. Ambulances used to transport victims were not surveyed and decontaminated, and many homes remained contaminated for some time. 

---