Decontamination requirements

Access to emergency showers and eyewashes is part of the site-specific emergency response and medical first-aid programs, and is unrelated to sanitation or decontamination. Requirements for the availability and location of emergency showers and eyewashes are specified under 29 CFR 1910.151. 

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... 

In Step 15, the precipitated aluminum salts produced in Step 7 are decontaminated. This step is necessary to ensure that the precipitate meets 5X decontamination requirements before being sent off-site for disposal. The 5X decontamination is to be done in a dedicated electrically heated screw conveyor. 

Performance of the unit has proven to be dependent on the level of decontamination required and on the type of coating covering the decontamination. Wastes recovered by this process may require additional treatment or disposal as radioactive, mixed, or hazardous wastes. 

Children presenting to the emergency department needing decontamination require special consideration. When dealing with children in a disaster situation, nurses must not only work to identify, triage, and... 

Decontamination requires sensors with characteristics different from those being developed for CA—and little work is addressing that need. 

The T-2 mycotoxins have a low molecular mass of 250-500 Da, are nonvolatile compounds produced by filamentous fiingi or molds of the genus Fusarium, and are extremely stable in the environment. Of the multiple mechanisms of actions, many are poorly understood. However, their most notable effect stems from their ability to rapidly inhibit protein and nucleic acid synthesis. Thus, they are markedly cytotoxic to rapidly dividing cells, such as in the bone marrow, G1 tract (mucosal epithelium), skin, and germ cells. This cytotoxic effect imitates the hematopoietic and lymphoid effect of radiation sickness, thus the mycotoxins are referred to as radiomimetic agents. The mycotoxins also alter ceU-membrane strucmre and function, inhibit mitochondrial respiration, and inactivate certain enzymes. Decontamination requires the use of hypochlorite solution under alkaline conditions, such as 1% sodium hypochlorite and 0.1 M NaOH with 1 h contact time (USAMRICD, 2005). 

Monitoring. Some methods of monitoring contamination would be valuable in determining the degree of decontamination required. 

General. The primary purpose of performing radiological surveys is to determine the extent of any existing health hazards, establish protective control boundaries, and provide data on which to base decontamination requirements. 

A. Types of Surveys. Various types of radiological surveys may be performed. Area surveys may involve the determination of fallout patterns on the ground, levels of airborne activity, or contamination patterns on ships or in buildings. Personnel surveys are performed to detect the presence of contaminated material on the body s surfaces, in body openings, e.g., nose and ears, or in the case of casualties with traumatic injury, contamination in wounds. The results of personnel surveys are used to evaluate health hazards and to establish decontamination requirements. Equipment/material surveys are conducted primarily to establish requirements for decontamination. Monitoring should be done with consistency (1-2 cm from surface for alpha and beta and 1 meter from surface for gamma). 

A fully operational in-situ RF heating system for decontamination requires the development and testing of at least four major subsystems. These are (1) RF energy deposition electrode array (2)... 

Must comply with disposal or decontamination requirements... 

Decontamination of chemical warfare agents, such as the nerve gas, VX, is required in a variety of situations including battlefields, laboratories, storage facilities, and destruction sites. Most research has dealt with battlefield decontamination due to the speed and ease of use of a decontaminant required in this situation. Because of the requirements of battlefield decontamination, reactive inorganic powders have been widely explored as possible catalysts for CWA decontamination. Studies have been performed examining the neutralization of VX on nanosized MgO (5), nanosized CaO (2), AgY (9), and nanosized AI2O3 (7) and other similar compounds on nanosized MgO (79). 

Wet decontamination should occur when ordered hy the Site Safety Officer. Wet decontamination requires showering on-site with control of runoff water. A HazMat team will he needed to assist. 

Full-system decontaminations require a particularly extensive preparatory work. Compatibility of the materials to the reagents applied in the decontamination solutions is of highest significance when further operation of the plant is planned not only the materials present in the primary circuit have to be tested for corrosive attack, but those in the components of the nuclear auxiliary systems as well, which will be in contact with the solutions in the course of the decontamination procedure. Due to differences in the materials applied, such a test might only be applicable for the plants of a given manufacturer occasionally, a special composition of materials present in one individual plant has to be taken into account. Another... 

Where decontamination is an option, the decontamination requires treatment of the interior of the container with a suitable neutralizing solution (consult the manufacturer, importer or supplier), or solvent collection of the neutralizing solution or solvent and disposal of the washings suitably. They may go to a sump for treatment before entering a sewer, or be collected and discharged at an approved disposal site. For pesticide containers the triple rinse technique has been abandoned in favour of use of a recirculating pump. 

Downtime 4h to 48h, depending upon the level of decontamination required and the process used. 

Recalling that the Commission noted that, in coimection with these decontamination requirements, a limited amount of safety equipment will be required. 

Medical decontamination requires removal or neutralization of CWAs, which upon penefrafion of fhe skin produce vesication or, with OPs, enter the systemic circulation and inactivate ChEs. The most important process for the exposed soldier or civilian is to remove the chemical agent from the skin as quickly as possible. The soldier, under harsh conditions, must use the treatment product quickly to minimize transdermal penetration. A decontaminant that inactivates the chemical agent prevents its penetration through the skin and potentially protects a medical worker or colleague from suffering a secondhand exposure. 

Chemical warfare imposes a logistical burden on both the user and the target. In addition to the needs of casualties, protective kit and decontaminating equipment must be transported forward, provision made for respirators to be changed, and for the disposal of contaminated material. Decontamination requires extra fuel and water. 

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