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Guidelines for Military Mass Casualty Decontamination Operations During a Domestic HAZMAT/Weapon of Mass Destruction Incident 5.3 Biological Agents Biological agents are commonly classified into three categories: bacteria, viruses, and toxins. 34 However, the military classifies them as pathogens, toxins, bioregulators, and prions. 31 Commonly known examples of biological agents are anthrax, plague, smallpox, ricin toxin, and botulinum toxin. Biological agents can be produced easily in a short time. 35 When used as a weapon, these agents can be delivered by modified conventional munitions or by ground-based or aerial-borne spray devices. Certain biological agents are communicable, but cause illness after a long incubation period. This means that casualties spread the pathogen before outwardly showing symptoms or becoming ill. The Japanese used biological agents before and during World War II. They discovered that the effects of biological weapons are difficult to anticipate and control. They found that biological weapons can cause considerable casualties to unvaccinated friendly forces and populations. 36 In 1972, President Nixon ended the United States’ offensive biological weapons program. Several nations still continue to develop and produce biological weapons using commercially available equipment and established microbiological techniques. In 2008, a man was hospitalized after staying in a Las Vegas hotel room that was contaminated with the powerful toxin ricin. Ricin was also found in 2004 in the mailroom of the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington. Anthrax, a bacterial agent, was used in the 2001 attacks that killed 5 and sickened 17. The ensuing investigation by the FBI and its partners—code-named Amerithrax—has been one of the largest and most complex in the history of law enforcement. 37 Section 8.4.2 provides move information on biological-specific decontamination guidelines. Appendix E lists specific properties of selected biological species and agents. 5.4 Radiological Agents Radiological threats exist in many different forms. The most easily recognized applications of a radiological threat are a radiological dispersal device, radiation emitting devices, or an improvised nuclear device. A radiological dispersal device is also known as a “dirty bomb.” An improvised nuclear device is “an illicit nuclear weapon bought, stolen, or otherwise originating from a nuclear state, or a weapon fabricated by a terrorist group from illegally obtained fissile nuclear weapons material that produces a nuclear explosion.” 38 The threat of terrorist groups using these types of devices continues, but other threats are much more prevalent. Industrial and medical uses for radiation have created an ongoing potential for concern. Medical facilities are required to follow stringent storage, use, and accountability guidelines governing radioactive materials. However, there are frequent reports of loss of accountability for these materials. There are also documented cases of industrial radiological instruments, such as radiography devices used for examining the integrity of welded seams, being 10 Original
Guidelines for Military Mass Casualty Decontamination Operations During a Domestic HAZMAT/Weapon of Mass Destruction Incident improperly accounted for, used, or maintained. These cases resulted in the unintended loss or theft of the radioactive material. In some cases, unsuspecting civilians have discovered this material and picked it up purely out of curiosity. These actions resulted in accidental exposures and fatalities to themselves and others. 39 Finally, the threat of radiation exposure exists due to an atmospheric release at any of the nuclear power generators operating throughout the U.S. This release may be the result of potential accidents at a given location. The release could also result from a coordinated act of terror through an intentional compromise of a generator’s safety and containment systems. Another source of exposure comes from the everpresent threat of waste materials generated by any of the industrial uses of radioactive materials. Any compromise of containment systems for these materials could result in a mass contamination scenario. Examples of these types of exposure incidents include the accidents at Three Mile Island and the Chernobyl Power Facility. Once potential exposure incidents occur, responding agencies are expected to perform emergency response actions including decontamination. Established procedures, recommendations, and guidelines are used to determine the actions to take during such an incident. The most familiar procedures are the EPA’s Protective Action Guides (PAG). They were developed in order to “help state and local authorities make radiation protection decisions during emergencies. The EPA developed the PAG Manual to provide guidance on actions to protect the public. Responders can use the PAG Manual in any radiation emergency, including nuclear power plant incident, foreign reactor incident, contaminated materials at steel mills or scrap metal recycling facilities, transportation accidents involving radioactive materials, or a radiological dispersal device/improvised nuclear device research facility incident.” 16 In many cases, civilian response organizations may only provide a limited response to radiation incidents. This limitation could be due to an absence of equipment or a lack of familiarity and experience with operating it. The limited response could also be the result of procedural requirements and restrictions when dealing with these types of incidents. In these cases, military response organizations are critically important—their procedural and response capabilities and experience provide them with exceptional knowledge and increased flexibility in conducting operations. The U.S. military has an extensive capability for radiological surveying and monitoring in all Services. A majority of the military is trained to deal with a nuclear attack and to monitor and conduct surveys to lessen the exposure of their personnel. This information and training are useful in case of a well planned and executed radiological dispersal device or improvised nuclear device. Most branches also send many of their personnel to advanced training on radiological incidents. Proper monitoring and detection is required before any responders can make entry into hazardous areas to perform emergency response functions. As a result, there are numerous military command and response elements that can be tasked to assist in Original 11 Table of Contents Introduction MCD Equipment Comparison Decontamination Overview MCD Operations Summary Appendix A References Appendix B Acronym List Appendix C Glossary Appendix D MCD Cross- Reference Guide Appendix E CBR Guide Appendix F MCD Decision Trees Appendix G ARNORTH Guidance
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