Healthcare and the Chemical Surety Mission

HEALTH SURVEILLANCE LOR CHEMICAL WORKERS Preplacement Examination Baseline Data for Future Exposures Periodic Medical Examinations Termination Examination 

Lieutenant Colonel, Medical Corps, U.S. Army Combat Casualty Care Office, U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland 21010-5425 

Medical officers with assignments to U.S. Army depots or other installations storing chemical warfare agents face a number of unique challenges. Not only will newly assigned general medical officers provide patient care to both military and civilian workers, they will also have a myriad of additional duties unique to chemical weapons storage sites. 

The depot may be physically isolated and a considerable distance away from the Medical Center (MEDCEN) or Medical Department Activity (MEDDAC) responsible for providing medical support and consultation. The preventive/occupational medicine physicians are usually responsible for providing this support and are a source of information and guidance. Other governmental agencies have also been identified to assist medical personnel in acquiring solutions to unfamiliar medical problems related to chemical exposure (Exhibit 17-1). 

As used in this chapter, a chemical agent is defined as a chemical substance intended for use in military operations to kill, seriously injure, or incapacitate a person through its physiological effects. Riot control agents, chemical herbicides, smoke, and flame are not officially defined as chemical agents. 

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