Public health information chemical incidents

In the majority of the countries, the necessary equipment and potential have been provided for to counteract the main affections from chemical incidents. These measures include not only the setting up of specialized organizations and institutions such as public health establishments or emergency committees and commissions, but also creation of reliable information sites and systems. 

Stage 3 Has the incident been confirmed Confirmation implies that definitive evidence and information have been collected to establish the presence of a threat to the chemical facility. Obviously, at this stage the concept of due diligence takes on a whole new meaning since authorities are now faced with death and destruction and a potential public health crisis. Response actions at this point include all steps necessary to protect public health, property, and the environment. 

An important component of responding to a significant chemical incident is to prepare and provide a Public Health Statement/Patient Information Sheet to the healthcare facility. The healthcare provider can then disseminate this objective toxicological information to all treated individuals and the community at large to both educate and allay fears within the local population. 

Growth of the chemical industry has been more moderate since 1970. But during this third period, a combination of factors has Increased almost exponentially the focus on risks associated with chemicals, health and the environment. These factors Include advances in health and environmental technology, an increasing corporate responsibility toward health and environmental concerns, media spotlighting of new information cmd incidents, and increasing government and public Involvement in risk decisions. 

Medical personnel must rely on accurate and timely information provided by the earliest responders on the scene. If medical teams are expected to be the earliest responders to the scene of a mass casualty incident involving chemical agents, then they should be provided with reliable detection equipment as well as training on the use of the equipment. There should be continued support for the Public Health Service efforts to equip Metropolitan Medical Strike Teams with effective and currently available chemical agent detection equipment. These detectors are reliable, relatively inexpensive, and provide for the detection of all classical chemical agents that may be utilized in a domestic terrorist incident. Furthermore, efficient and cost-effective portable hand-held CWA detectors employing photo ionization detectors, surface acoustic wave microsensors, or ion mobility spectrometry should be readily available to all Hazmat units expected to respond to a potential CWA incident. 

New information on the effects of chemicals has received widespread media attention. Bioconcentration of chemicals such as PCB and DDP in fish, new findings of carcinogenicity, and the occurrence of reproductive health effects, to name only a few, are topics which have been publicized in media of every type. Incidents ranging from transportation spills to the leaching of chemicals into ground water from waste disposal sites have... 

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