DECONTAMINATION | NCM 120 | TOPIC 04

DISCUSSION BY JOHN IAN E. AMIGO

DECONTAMINATION
v Is the process of removing or neutralizing a hazard from the
environment, property, or life form
v Its goal is to reduce or remove the hazardous agent while
maintaining safety and to prevent further contamination to
people and environment
v Most effective when it is done within the first minute or two
after the exposure
maintenance, repair, or removed by unprotected, untrained
personnel.
GUIDELINES
1. The item should be cleaned of all visible residue and encrusted
material.
2. Where there is the potential for hazardous non- visible chemical
contamination, it may be necessary to use pH test strips,
peroxide test strips, or other indicating mechanism to verify

TYPES OF DECONTAMINATION that no contamination is present

1. PERSONAL 3. For items used with radioactive materials, no radioactivity must
v A process of decontaminating oneself after the exposure from
be detected with with survey equipment or swipe tests
hazardous materials
4. For items used with infectious materials, disinfect all surfaces
v Easier when you wear the correct PPE
with an appropriate disinfectant
2. CASUALTY
5. Remove or deface all hazard warning labels once hazards have
v A process of decontaminating large number of people
been successfully removed by decontamination
v The process requires dedication of both large number of
6. Complete the decontamination certificate and attach to the
personnel and large amount of time
item.
METHODS OF DECONTAMINATION
1. PHYSICAL WOUND DECONTAMINATION
v is the process of reducing or removing chemical agents from
v The process of removing, flushing, flooding, and scraping the
wounds after experiencing chemical attack
contaminated skin or material to remove or dilute significant
amounts of agent. EQUIPMENT DECONTAMINATION
v is the process of cleaning, disinfecting, and sterilization of
v Remove clothing—encourage victims to remove clothing at
equipment’s.
least to their undergarments.
3 LEVELS OF DECONTAMINATION
v Flush with water or aqueous solutions.
1. CLEANING
v Absorb contaminating agent with absorbent materials (e.g., rub v The first and most important step in any decontamination
with flour followed by wet tissues or use military M291 resin process
kits for spot decontamination of skin only). 2. DISINFECTION
v Scrape bulk agent with a wooden stick (e.g., tongue v Use of heat or chemicals after cleaning items known to be
depressor/popsicle stick). suspected of being contaminated with blood or body fluids.
v Note: Follow all these actions with full decontamination at a 3. STERILISATION
medical treatment facility. v Use of heat to render objects free from viable microorganisms.
2. CHEMICAL
v Decontamination with the use of substance or compound
mechanism
v Water/soap wash: Chemical warfare agents have a generally
low solubility and slow rate of diffusion in both fresh water and
seawater. Therefore, the major effect of water and water
combined with soap (especially alkaline soaps) is via a slow
breakdown of the compound (i.e., hydrolysis) or through
dilution of the agent and the mechanical force of the wash.
v Chemical solutions: In the event of an emergency, you may
be directed to perform decontamination with other chemical
deactivation agents. These vary depending on the chemical
warfare agent and may include alkaline solutions of
hypochlorite

CERTIFICATE OF DECONTAMINATION
v Is a form to certify that equipment that might have been
contaminated with hazardous substances has been
decontaminated. Instruments or equipment must be certified as
being free from potentially hazardous contamination prior to

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