![]() ![]() ![]() Stretchers, when not actually being used, should, therefore, be kept under cover (e.g. It is therefore important to adopt all possible measures to prevent contamination occurring. If the ordinary pattern of stretcher is splashed with liquid mustard gas it is difficult to obtain complete decontamination, since the canvas is fixed to the woodwork by a large number of nails, which renders the removal and replacement of the canvas impracticable under field conditions. These measures will vary, in the case of mustard gas, according to the material to be decontaminated, the nature and extent of the contamination, and the environment, the process adopted in a particular case being often dependent on local conditions and the facilities available.ĭecontamination of stretchers. Moreover, they must possess a knowledge of chemical warfare substances and their characteristics if they are to make effective use of any anti-gas measure they may adopt. Satisfactory decontamination is essentially a skilled process, hence the personnel employed in carrying it out must be trained for the purpose. ![]() persons who are both contaminated and sick or injured) who come under his care, it is important that he be familiar with the general principles on which decontamination is based, as the degree of efficacy of a particular process in given circumstances may have a direct bearing on the incidence of mustard gas casualties. Our knowledge of the stability of this vesicant, its penetrative power and its persistent character forces us to realize that all such clothing and materials will be dangerous to wear or to handle until they have been subjected to some process, active or passive, which will ensure either the destruction or the removal of the mustard gas they may contain.Īlthough the Medical Officer is responsible only for the personal decontamination of individual contaminated casualties (i.e. Decontamination of clothing, equipment and materials.Ī very essential measure of prophylaxis against injury from mustard gas is the systematic decontamination of all clothing, equipment, materials and other objects contaminated by the gas. Anything they wore or carried would have gone through the decontamination process, which in WWI was:Ģ1. Only about 28,000 American GI's were exposed to mustard gas during WWI and seldom at lethal levels. A gas mask worn during a gas attack likely would never had made it back home. ![]()
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