Skin decontamination duration

Persistency skin decontaminating kit. Decontaminate individual equipment with the M280 individual equipment decontamination kit. Depends on munitions used and the weather somewhat shorter duration of effectiveness for HD, heavily splashed liquid of which persists 1-2 days under average weather conditions, and a week or more under very cold conditions. 

Decontaminants. Area decontamination is not required as CS has a short duration, of effectiveness. Personnel exposed to CS may shower as necessary however, when CS dust or particles are on the skin, showering should be delayed for 6 hours to prevent stinging and reddening of the skin. Individuals affected by CS should move to fresh air, face the wind, and remain well spaced and should not rub their eyes. To remove accidental gross contamination, personnel should remove clothing and immediately flush body with copious amts of water to remove most of the agent apply 5% Na bisulfite soln to remove remainder (except in or around eyes) and then rinse body... 

With delayed water decontamination, fivefold greater incidence of full-thickness skin injuries and longer duration of hospital admission Even with immediate water decontamination, 16 patients required hospital admission for a mean of 7.7 days and 12.5 % had full-thickness bums 2,762 Not Chemical skin injuries 3.3 % (n = 94)... 

The duration of decontamination washing of chemical contaminants on the skin effects decontamination efficacy [165]. 

Zhai et al. [176] utilized an in vitro model to compare the decontamination efficacy of tap water, isotonic saline, and hypertonic saline mixed with " C-radiolabeled glyphosate [176], After exposure, the skin samples were washed three times with 4 mL of each solution. The tape stripping method was used to collect SC samples, and these were analyzed by liquid scintillation counting to determine the radioactivity. Their results showed that there were no statistically significant differences between the various decontamination solutions tested for glyphosate. The total mass removed and the wash-off rates at three different exposure durations ranged from 94.8 to 102.4 % and 79 to 101.2 %, respectively. Therefore, all tested decontamination solutions were similarly effective [176]. 

This depends on the concentration and inherent toxicity of the chemical with which a patient is contaminated and the proximity and duration of contact with the staff. Chemical agents can be present on the patient s skin, hair and clothes, all of which can be reduced by external decontamination. However, certain volatile agents may also be present in exhaled breath ( respiratory off-gassing ) and ingested chemicals may be present in vomitus, neither of which is removed by external decontamination. In these circumstances, regular rotation of staff away from the clinical areas may reduce the effects of secondary contamination. 

---