PROTECTIVE CLOTHING AND RESPIRATORS

Interim Recommendations for the Selection and Use of Protective Clothing and Respirators Against Biological Agents (provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC))... 

These are of the greatest importance. Attendants should wear adequate protective clothing and respirators when dealing with contaminated casualties. 

The objectives of drug treatment for nerve agent poisoning are primarily to ensure survival and, secondly, to enable the soldier to maintain a reasonable level of performance. Ideally, with timely detection and the wearing of protective clothing and respirators, exposure should be minimal. 

Skin and eyes. Remove contaminated clothing and store in a plastic bag wash exposed areas thoroughly with soap and copious water. Irrigate exposed eyes with copious saline or tepid water. Rescuers should wear appropriate protective clothing and respirators to avoid exposure. 

A. Emergency and supportive measures. Depending on the risk to rescuers, treatment of serious medical problems takes precedence over radiologic concerns. If there is a potential for contamination of rescuers and equipment, appropriate radiation response protocols should be implemented, and rescuers should wear protective clothing and respirators. Note If the exposure was to electromagnetic radiation only, the victim is not contaminating and does not pose a risk to downstream personnel. 

A familiar complaint of workers who must don Level A and B PPE is that the equipment is very uncomfortable (hot and sweaty) and cumbersome, which lowers their productivity. The use of protective clothing and respirators increases physical stress, in particular, heat stress. Wearing protective equipment also increases the risk of accidents. It is heavy, cumbersome, decreases dexterity and agility, interferes with vision, and is fatiguing to wear. New suits are being developed that are comfortable and impose less stress on workers. PPE selection is a process that involves a mix of experience, common sense, and quantitative risk assessment. 

Protective Clothing and Respirators Discusses personal protective measures that might be employed in advanced chemical laboratory operations. 

If a spill of appreciable quantity occurs, leave the area quickly unless you have specific emergency duties. Do not touch spilled material. Designated persons may stop the leak and shutoff ignition sources if these procedures can be done without risk. Designated persons should isolate the hazard area and deny entry except for necessary people protected by suitable protective clothing and respirators adequate for the exposure. Use water spray to reduce vapors. Do not smoke, and prohibit all flames or flares in the hazard area. 

Heat stress is the total heat load imposed on the body by environmental and ph5rsical work factors. Environmental factors that affect heat load are ambient air temperature, radiant heat, air movement, conduction, and relative humidity. Ph5rsical work contributes to heat stress by producing metabolic heat in the body proportional to the work intensity. PPE and protective clothing can significantly increase the risk of heat stress, especially in hot environments where miners may be reqnired to wear semipermeable or permeable protective clothing and respirators to perform moderate or strenuous work. 

Low-level radioactive wastes being dumped into trenches for land burial at AEC s National Reactor Testing Center, Arco, Idaho. Man on truck wears protective clothing and respirator while man to his left monitors radiation. (Credit National Archives)... 

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