Evaluation of the Possibility to Decontaminate a Medical Triage Tag

Abstract

Introduction: There is a risk of an accident or a terrorist attack involving chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear (CBRN) agents resulting in many victims. In CBRN ambiance, the identification, classification, and triage of the victims in the field is complex without adapted medical data support. Therefore, the decontamination of a new model of medical triage tag printed on quality paper was evaluated. Methods: Six medical triage tags (model OHMI-000735584-0001) were contaminated with a radioactive solution of Technetium" at slight, medium, and heavy concentrations (n = 2 for each group). After an initial measurement of the gamma radiation (Sonde SX-2R, Radiagem™, Canberra, France), each tag was decontaminated with a neutral soap (DTPA) for 90 seconds and rinsed with water (1.5 I/tag). A measurement of the remaining contamination was completed. Data were processed using an ANOVA and differences among groups were evaluated using a Neuman-Keuls test with Bonferonni's correction. Statistical significance was set at/> <0.05. Results: Whatever the initial contamination was, the final contamination was not significantly different from the natural radioactivity in the environment. Conclusions: This new medical triage tag is able to be decontaminated after contamination with a radioactive solution.