Decontamination field

Requirements to decontamination substances and solutions for decontamination of vehicles, roads and fields are efficiency and prize, due to the large amount of substances to be used for field decontamination. 

Field decontamination depends on the amount of released substance and the level of toxicity and could be accomplished naturally (due to the processes of evaporation, hydrolysis and others) or to be performed using decontamination systems as AGV-3U or Karcher ... 

Emergency Treatment. Upon arrival in the emergency department, patients field decontamination should be complete, and the emergency personnel can focus on... 

If a decontamination site must be located in an area being treated, put decontamination supplies in enclosed containers. Figure 2.3 shows an emergency field decontamination station. 

Toxins, new-generation nerve agents, and toxic industrial chemicals have chemical properties different from those of traditional chemical agents. Fielded decontamination materials may not be effective against some of these threats. 

In military operations, it is impossible to have zero risk, and indeed, the acceptable risk level in most cases may well be higher than that set for civilian operations. Determining the appropriate level of decontamination for a situation is the result of assessment and decision making based on all of the risks. Setting the appropriate risk levels and decontamination specifications is an area in need of Navy doctrine. Once established, that doctrine could then lead to the development of testing and performance standards to be used for field decontamination, as well as to base and long-term equipment decontamination procedures. The Navy must be able to provide doctrine, guidelines, and expertise in this area. 

Table 4. Field decontamination equipment and systems (modified from Yang el al., 1992)...

Block F, Davis GT. Survey of Decontamination Methods Related to Field Decontamination of Vehicles and Materiel. Dugway Proving Ground, Utah Defense Technical Information Center 1978 59-60. AD-B031659. 

The M12A1 Power-Driven Decontamination Apparatus (PDDA) is used to apply decontamination solutions or hot soapy water and rinses during field decontamination operations. The M12A1 PDDA consists of a pump unit, 500-gal tank, personnel shower assembly, and M2 water heater, all of which is mounted on a 5- or 10-ton truck with drop sides (Figure 16-41). The pump assembly can deliver 50 gal of water or super tropical bleach (STB) decontaminating agent per minute at a pressure of 105 psi to the two spray wands. 

Hospitals receive not only field-decontaminated patients but also "walk-ins" who may have bypassed field decontamination. Despite Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations standards calling for hospitals to have hazardous materials (Hazmat) plans and conduct Hazmat training, two recent reviews have suggested that most hospitals in the United States are ill prepared to treat chemically contaminated patients. 

The removal of solid or liquid chemical agent from exposed individuals is the first step in preventing severe injury or death. Civilian Hazmat teams generally have basic decontamination plans in place, though proficiency may vary widely. Very few teams are staffed, equipped, or trained for mass decontamination. Hospitals need to be prepared to decontaminate patients, despite plans that call for field decontamination of all patients before transport to hospitals. However, few hospitals have formal decontamination facilities even fewer have dedicated outdoor facilities or an easy way of expanding their decontamination operations in an event involving mass casualties. 

Many patients who have field decontamination (especially those with only dry decontamination) will require further decontamination at the hospital. If the scene is close to the hospital, many victims may transport themselves directly to the hospital and amve having had no decontamination at all (as in the Tokyo sarin attacks). Hospitals usually have little in the way of decontamination equipment other than wading pools, water hoses, and soap. Most emergency departments have no PPE available and no training in the use of PPE. Thus, if contaminated victims arrived at the emergency department, the staff would become cross-contaminated while trying to perform decontamination of the patients. Most hospitals depend on the fire service, EMS, or EMA to provide a decon trailer in an emergency situation. The problem with this is the decon trailer may be in use at the scene of the incident and not be available. 

In case of the maximum hypothetical accident, emergency actions, including sheltering, evacuation and field decontamination, are adopted in order to assure that no individual receives a whole body dose in excess of 0.25Sv which would result in acute injury. Also, the accumulative dose received by the population is limited to a reasonable value. 

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