Chapter
6: Decontamination
 econtamination
is the process by which particulate, vapor, and liquid materials are safely
removed from an exposed person without further contaminating the casualty,
the environment, or rescuers. Decontamination is an important
part of all disasters involving hazardous materials and weapons of mass
destruction.
There are two main
goals in setting up decontamination at
a medical facility:
- To protect the
facility and its personnel from becoming contaminated, and thus further
casualties
- To facilitate the
treatment and triage of contaminated patients as rapidly as possible
Analysis of hazardous
materials accidents has shown that up to 85% of the victims arrive at
a healthcare facility without pre-hospital treatment or decontamination.
Terrorist events, with their larger number of patients, unknown substances,
and large numbers of “worried well,” increase the possibility
of casualties arriving at a facility contaminated or potentially contaminated.
Decontamination
of casualties in the warm zone by
personnel in Level B Personal Protection Equipment (PPE)
Field
Observation |
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In the Tokyo sarin attack, very few of those decontaminated before
seeking care. |
Gross
Decontamination
Removal of outer layers of clothing may reduce contamination
by up to 85%.
Casualties may be thoroughly rinsed off
with water hoses and sprays to prevent further spread of dry particulate
matter, such as anthrax spores or riot control agents.
Showering
thoroughly with soap and water is the most effective method of gross
decontamination.
Treatment
Area
When
responding to a disaster involving hazardous materials and weapons of
mass destruction, it is critical that the treatment area be at least
300 yards upwind of the contaminated area.
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