Human decontamination

Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pattiogens (ACDP) (1990) HIV—The Causative Agent of AIDS and Related Conditions. Second revision of guidelines. London Heallh and Safety Executive. Anon ( 99 ) Decontamination of Equipment, Linen or other Surfaces Contaminated with Hepatitis B and/or Human Immunodeficiency Viruses. Depaittnent of Healtti HC 33. 

Sterilization, Disinfection and Cleaning of Medical Equipment Microbiology Advisory Committee (1993) Guidance on Decontamination fixMnttie Microbiology Advisory Committee to Department of Health Medical Devices Directorate. Part 1 Principles. London HMSO. van Bueren J., Salman H. Cookson B.D. (1995) The Efficacy of Thirteen Chemical Disinfectants against Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). Medical Devices Agency Evaluation Report. 

Methods for Reducing Toxic Effects. Little information is available regarding reducing the toxic effects of diisopropyl methylphosphonate following exposure. Recommended treatments include general hygienic procedures for rapid decontamination. The ability of porous polymeric sorbents, activated carbon, and dialysis to remove diisopropyl methylphosphonate from human plasma has been studied. However, since diisopropyl methylphosphonate and its metabolites are not retained by the body, the need for methods to reduce body burden is uncertain. 

The TSDF standards also establish requirements to ensure that hazardous waste management units are closed in a manner that protects human health and the environment. The closure provisions require the facility to stop accepting waste remove all waste from management units and decontaminate all soils, structures, and equipment. Some units (i.e., land treatment units, landfills, and surface impoundments) serve as places for the final disposal of hazardous waste. These land disposal units must comply with additional postclosure requirements to ensure proper long-term unit maintenance. 

The development of catalysts for the oxidation of organic compounds by air under ambient conditions is of both academic and practical importance (1). Formaldehyde is an important intermediate in synthetic chemistry as well as one of the major pollutants in the human environment (2). While high temperature (> 120 °C) catalytic oxidations are well known (3), low temperature aerobic oxidations under mild conditions have yet to be reported. Polyoxometalates (POMs) are attractive oxidation catalysts because these extensively modifiable metal oxide-like structures have high thermal and hydrolytic stability, tunable acid and redox properties, solubility in various media, etc. (4). Moreover, they can be deposited on fabrics and porous materials to render these materials catalytically decontaminating (5). Here we report the aerobic oxidation of formaldehyde in water under mild conditions (20-40 °C, 1 atm of air or 02) in the presence of Ce-substituted POMs (Ce-POMs). 

Different organic acids, primarily lactic acid, have been successfully used for decontamination of whole livestock carcasses, and the application of different organic acids used for decontamination has also been tested in the fruit and vegetable industry. Organic acids other than lactic acid that are known to have bactericidal effects are acetic, benzoic, citric, malic, propanoic, sorbic, succinic and tartaric acids (Betts and Everis 2005). The antimicrobial action is due to a reduction in the pH in the bacterial environment, disruption of membrane transport, anion accumulation or a reduction in the internal pH in the cell (Busta et al., 2001). Many fruits contain naturally occurring organic acids. Nevertheless, some strains, for example E. coli 0157, are adapted to an acidic environment. Its survival, in combination with its low infective dose, makes it a health hazard for humans. 

Abstract Main features of the R D resulting in the new means for primary decontamination of chemical warfare agents based on the chemisorption principle introduced into the Czech Army s individual decontamination mean IPB-80 and into the Czech Civil Protection first aid kit ZPJ-80, and in the upgrading of sets for secondary decontamination PCHB-60-P and PCHP-60-P are presented. First results of R D on universal solutions for detoxification of super-toxic lethal chemical warfare agents on human skin are shown and discussed. 

Keywords chemical warfare agents, decontamination, detoxification, human skin, chemisorption, oxidation, detergents, alcoholates, aprotic solvents... 

Matousek J. Means for decontamination of supertoxic lethal chemicals on human skin. Symposium on Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Threats in the 21st Century, NBC-2000, Helsinki-Espoo 2000. Symposium Proceedings, Research Report No 75, University of Jyvaskyla 2000, pp. 216-221. 

Cabal J., Kassa J., Severa J. A comparison of the decontamination efficacy of foammaking blends based on cationic and nonionic tensides against organophosphorus compounds determined in vitro and in vivo. Human Experimental Toxicology 22, 507-514(2003). 

In spite of numerous researches devoted to improve methods and means for special treatment efficiency of decontamination in a number of instances does not correspond to the new requirements. An explanation for this from one side is the higher level of toxicity of the new chemical warfare agents small quantities of which could be very dangerous to humans and, from the other side, the process of decontamination is dependent both on methods and decontamination ability and specific properties of the contaminated object. 

TCDD is perhaps the most potent toxin known to humans. Animal studies have shown TCDD to be fatal in doses as small as 10-9 times the body weight. Because TCDD is also insoluble in water, decontamination is difficult. Nonlethal doses of TCDD result in chloracne, an acne-like disease that can persist for several years. 

Decontamination Standard precautions for healthcare workers. Human cases are infectious for mosquitoes for at least seventy-two hours. The virus can be destroyed by heat (80 degrees centigrade for thirty minutes), soap and water, or diluted sodium hypochlorite solution (0.5 percent). Blood and body fluid precautions are necessary. 

Clinical signs and symptoms from mustard (H/HD) are not apparent until hours later skin blisters might not appear for up to twenty-four hours, but tissue damage occurs within two minutes. If decontamination is not done within the first two minutes after exposure, nothing can be done to prevent a mustard injury. Since mustard (H/HD) can be detected by human beings by smell in concentrations of 0.6 to 1.0 mg/m3 as a garlic, horseradish, or mustard odor an alert person will most likely smell the mustard vapor before encountering the liquid. 

Trickett, M., Budd, P., Montgomery, J. and Evans, J. (2003). An assessment of solubility profiling as a decontamination procedure for the 87Sr/86Sr analysis of archaeological human tissue. Applied Geochemistry 18 653-658. 

HD is locally and systemically corrosive to human tissue. Local effects include immediate inflammation of the tissues around the eyes and pronounced reddening of the skin. If not decontaminated, the reddened skin will ulcerate into watery boils within 4 to 6 hours. If the blisters are crudely broken, they will often reblister. 

The impacts from inhalation are not known. Since CX dissolves in human sweat, it can flow to tender skin areas of the body (e.g., armpits, buttocks, crotch). Since its effects are instantaneous, even immediate decontamination may do little to ease pain.1 As a form of calibration, a downwind evacuation from a 55-gallon spill should be a minimum of 2.1 miles.2 See Table 3.3 for a summary of the symptoms of exposure and potential medical treatment options. 

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