O. Tarakhno¹, L. Ustinova², V. Bahaienko², N. Kurdil³, O. Skorodumova4
1Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, The Hague, Netherlands
2Ukrainian Military Medical Academy, Kyiv, Ukraine
3L.I. Medved’s Research Center of Preventive Toxicology, Food and Chemical Safety, Ministry of Health, Ukraine (State Enterprise), Kyiv, Ukraine
4National University of Civil Protection of Ukraine, Kharkiv, Ukraine
ABSTRACT. Mass decontamination involves a set of measures to clean the surface of objects from contaminants, which leads to the elimination or reduction to acceptable limits of contamination of objects, materials, etc.
Aim. Determination of the priority set of measures for the elimination of the consequences of emergencies associated with the release (spill) of CBRN substances and the procedure for applying full mass sanitation, or technical decontamination, in the focus of the attack or the contamination zone.
Materials and Methods. Standard operating procedures for contamination control and full decontamination of personnel and equipment in the CBRN area of attack, created on the basis of national developments and recommendations of experts from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.
Results. The most widely used methods of special treatment (decontamination) are technical procedures for removing contamination or disinfecting surfaces by washing, wiping, sweeping, collecting, washing, boiling, chemical cleaning, etc. The main means for decontamination is water or aqueous solutions. Based on scientific research and practical experience, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons has developed Standard Operating Procedures for Contamination Control and Decontamination of Personnel and Equipment. The authors have prepared a set of instructions and step-by-step actions that must be performed in order to perform the decontamination process consistently, with predictable results. The undeniable advantages achieved by using standard procedures are a clear division of tasks according to competence, quality assurance and logical sequence of actions.
Conclusion. Standard procedures are useful for training personnel involved in the elimination of the consequences of the release of hazardous substances, allowing personnel to work clearly independently in the absence of leadership.
This section is devoted to the basic principles and tasks of complete mass decontamination, or technical decontamination, including in the area of contamination with chemical warfare agents (CWA): drops of persistent chemical warfare agents (VX or mustard gas), or with vapors of unstable chemical warfare agents, for example, sarin and soman.
Keywords: CBRN protection, special treatment, mass decontamination, decontamination, degassing.
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The article was received by the editorial office on February 25, 2025.