DECONTAMINATION

The basic purpose of decontamination is to remove or neutralize CBR contamination so that the mission of the ship can be carried out without endangering the life or health of assigned personnel.

Decontamination operations may be both difficult and dangerous. Personnel engaged in these operations must be thoroughly trained in the proper techniques. Certain operations, such as the decontamination of food and water, should be done only by experts qualified in such work. However, all members of a ship's company should receive adaquate training in the elementary principles of decontamination so that they can assist in emergency decontamination operations.

After an attack, data from CBR surveys will be used to determine the extent and degree of contamination. Contaminated personnel must be decontaminated as soon as possible. Before decontamination of installations, machinery, and gear is undertaken, appraisals of urgency must be made in the light of the tactical situation.

RADIOLOGICAL DECONTAMINATION

Radiological decontamination neither neutralizes nor destroys the contamination. Instead, it merely removes the contamination from one particular area and transfers it to an area in which it presents less of a hazard, At sea, radioactive material is disposed of directly over the side. At shore installations, the problem is more difficult.

Flushing with water, preferably water under Washdown is much more effective as a high pressure, is the most practical way to preventive measure than as a decontamination decontaminate topside surfaces. Aboard ship, a measure. The washdown system maybe used only water washdown system is used to wash down all periodically to prewet the ship and is then turned the exterior surfaces. The washdown system off to allow normal ship operations. It is still more consists of piping and a series of nozzles. They effective than it would be if contamination had throw a large spray pattern on weather decks and fallen on completely dry decks. other surfaces.

Some areas of the ship may become heavily

If the washdown system is turned on before contaminated before the washdown system is contamination, it prevents heavy contamination of activated. If so, you may need to hose down such the ship by coating the weather surfaces with the areas vigorously by using seawater under pressure flowing stream of water (see fig. 10-4). The flowing as follows: water carries away radioactive particles as they fall on the ship and prevents them from settling 1. Hose from higher to lower surfaces, from into cracks and crevices. windward to leeward and from bow to stern.

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Figure 10-4.-Water washdown system in action. 10-11

2. Direct the hose so that the water strikes the surface about 8 feet from the nozzle. Sweep the hose stream horizontally from side to side, moving lower on each sweep. Overlap the hosed areas somewhat on each sweep to ensure a complete washing. Direct the runoff into scuppers and deck drains as rapidly as possible. This keeps the contaminated water moving and prevents the formation of pools of contaminated water.

3. Take every possible precaution to see that contaminated water does not flow back over cleaner areas. Also, be sure that contaminated water is not hosed into the interior of the ship through vents, doors, or hatches.

Hosing down will be most effective if it is done after contaminating material has been deposited but before metal or painted surfaces have dried. However, contamination that has been deposited despite washdown will resist hosing alone. Vigorous scrubbing with deck brushes and detergents, followed by hosing, is required.

Ships without washdown systems will hose down with seawater as soon as the tactical situation permits. They will carry out other decontamination procedures as time permits.