Contamination avoidance can help minimize exposure by doing the following:

l Limiting the duration of exposure by reducing the amount of time in the hazardous area

c Delaying entry time until radiation decays enough to permit safe passage or occupancy or both

l Avoiding and bypassing contaminated areas

First-Aid Treatment

The casualty-producing effects of a nuclear explosion are blast, heat, and nuclear radiation. First-aid measures are limited to those for burns caused by thermal radiation and injuries caused by the blast. There are no immediate lifesaving measures for the treatment of radiation sickness or blindness caused by the intense light.

When the tactical situation prohibits you from going to a decontamination station, you must remove most of the radioactive material with whatever you have on hand. If you become heavily contaminated, the following measures are recommended:

1. You must remove your outer garments. Shake them vigorously or brush them off. Be sure the clothing is held downwind. This will remove most of the radioactive material unless it is wet and muddy.

2. When it is too cold or wet to remove your outer clothing, brush or scrape them carefully.

3. The same procedure should be used to decon-taminate your equipment.

Personnel Decontamination Station

Complete personnel decontamination is conducted at a personnel decontamination station (PDS). The PDS is setup in a secure, uncontaminated area, located as far forward as the tactical situation permits. Personnel from both the decontamination and the supported unit operate the PDS under the supervision of the Chemical, Biological, and Radiological Defense Officer (CBRDO), NOBC 2765 or the Disaster Preparedness Operations and Training Specialist, NEC 9598.

SEABEE CBR DEFENSE EQUIPMENT NOTE

The following information was current when it was written. Because of the frequency of change in CBR defense equipment, consult the Disaster Preparedness School (NCTC, Gulfport, Mississippi, or Port Hueneme, California) nearest you for the latest information.

Individual CBR defense equipment consists of permeable protective clothing, protective footwear covers, protective masks, skin decontamination kits, and atropine.