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ABSTRACT (Maximum 200 words)The Mass Casualty Decontamination Research Team (MCDRT) collectively addressed the issue of how to effectively decontaminate large numbers of people. Emphasis was placed on decontamination methods that could be performed with equipment and expertise readily available to most responder jurisdictions. The general principles identified to guide emergency responder policies, procedures, and actions after a chemical agent incident were:• Expect at least a 5:1 ratio of unaffected-to-affected casualties • Decontaminate victims as soon as possible • Disrobing is decontamination; head to toe, more removal is better • Generally, water flushing is the best mass decontamination method • After a known exposure to liquid chemical agent, emergency responders should be decontaminated as soon as possible to avoid serious effects. 104-201, Sept 23, 1996), commonly called the Nunn-Lugar-Domenici legislation, funded the U.S. Domestic Preparedness initiative. Under this initiative, the Department of Defense (DoD) was charged with enhancing the capability of federal, state, and local emergency responders in incidents involving nuclear, biological, and chemical terrorism. The U.S. Army Soldier and Biological Chemical Command (SBCCOM), Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, was assigned the mission of developing an Improved Response Program (IRP) to identify problems and develop solutions to the tasks associated with responding to such incidents. The Chemical IRP was established to deal specifically with terrorists using chemical weapons.
SUBJECT TERMSA Mass Casualty Decontamination Research Team (MCDRT) was formed by SBCCOM under the Chemical IRP in February 1998 to address specific technical and operational issues associated with the performance of mass casualty decontamination after a terrorist incident involving chemical weapons of mass destruction (WMD). The MCDRT was assembled from affected emergency response and technical disciplines. The research team included a broad scientific and operational knowledge base, both with general experts and specialized staff, including medical doctors with direct knowledge of the physiology and toxicological effects of chemical agents, emergency responders drawn from government organizations at all levels, and from contract research organizations.Over several months, the MCDRT collectively addressed the issue of how to effectively decontaminate large numbers of people. Emphasis was placed on decontamination methods that could be performed with equipment and expertise readily available to most responder jurisdictions. Effective physical and medical approaches were i...