Dry decontamination is a method of removing

contaminants Contamination is the presence of a constituent, impurity, or some other undesirable element that spoils, corrupts, infects, makes unfit, or makes inferior a material, physical body, natural environment, workplace, etc. Types of contamination ...

(such as

chemicals A chemical substance is a form of matter having constant chemical composition and characteristic properties. Some references add that chemical substance cannot be separated into its constituent elements by physical separation methods, i.e., wit ...

biological Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary in ...

particles, or other

liquid A liquid is a nearly incompressible fluid that conforms to the shape of its container but retains a (nearly) constant volume independent of pressure. As such, it is one of the four fundamental states of matter (the others being solid, gas, a ...

gas Gas is one of the four fundamental states of matter (the others being solid, liquid, and plasma). A pure gas may be made up of individual atoms (e.g. a noble gas like neon), elemental molecules made from one type of atom (e.g. oxygen), or ...

ses, or

solid Solid is one of the State of matter#Four fundamental states, four fundamental states of matter (the others being liquid, gas, and Plasma (physics), plasma). The molecules in a solid are closely packed together and contain the least amount o ...

s) without the need to use

water Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as a ...

or other liquids.

Decontamination Decontamination (sometimes abbreviated as decon, dcon, or decontam) is the process of removing contaminants on an object or area, including chemicals, micro-organisms or radioactive substances. This may be achieved by chemical reaction, disinfecti ...

is an essential duty of

hazmat Dangerous goods, abbreviated DG, are substances that when transported are a risk to health, safety, property or the environment. Certain dangerous goods that pose risks even when not being transported are known as hazardous materials ( syllabi ...

responders as it protects victims from harmful reactions to the contaminants. Dry decontamination is a relatively recent method of decontamination and is especially useful in cold weather conditions, or when water is scarce or difficult to transport. Dry decontamination reduces the size and manpower requirements of the decontamination line and eliminates the need to purchase excess equipment that becomes ineffective due to storage or infrequent use.

Dry decontamination methods

Dry decontamination is usually performed after the removal of clothing and before a shower (when available). There are five different types of dry decontamination, each of which can be used in conjunction with others to remove up to 100% of all suspected contaminants:Rudner, Glen D. ''Emergency Responder Considerations for Decontamination of Incidents.'' # Scraping # Absorbent materials #

Adsorbent Adsorption is the adhesion of atoms, ions or molecules from a gas, liquid or dissolved solid to a surface. This process creates a film of the ''adsorbate'' on the surface of the ''adsorbent''. This process differs from absorption, in which a ...

materials # Vacuuming # Pressurized air

Scraping

Scraping is a process of decontamination in which the bulk contaminant is removed from the victim or environment using a

spatula A spatula is a broad, flat, flexible blade used to mix, spread and lift material including foods, drugs, plaster and paints. In medical applications, "spatula" may also be used synonymously with tongue depressor. The word ''spatula'' derives f ...

, wooden

tongue depressor A tongue depressor (sometimes called spatula) is a tool used in medical practice to depress the tongue to allow for examination of the mouth and throat. The most common modern tongue depressors are flat, thin, wooden blades, smoothed and rounded ...

, or other handheld implement. Scraping works best with

viscous The viscosity of a fluid is a measure of its resistance to deformation at a given rate. For liquids, it corresponds to the informal concept of "thickness": for example, syrup has a higher viscosity than water. Viscosity quantifies the inter ...

liquids and solids.

Absorbent materials

Absorbent materials are specifically made to absorb (or capture and contain) contaminants. Absorbent materials include FiberTect, Reactive Skin Decontamination Lotion (RSDL),

Fuller's earth Fuller's earth is any clay material that has the capability to decolorize oil or other liquids without the use of harsh chemical treatment. Fuller's earth typically consists of palygorskite (attapulgite) or bentonite. Modern uses of fuller's ea ...

flour Flour is a powder made by grinding raw grains, roots, beans, nuts, or seeds. Flours are used to make many different foods. Cereal flour, particularly wheat flour, is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many culture ...

baking soda Sodium bicarbonate (IUPAC name: sodium hydrogencarbonate), commonly known as baking soda or bicarbonate of soda, is a chemical compound with the formula NaHCO3. It is a salt composed of a sodium cation ( Na+) and a bicarbonate anion ( HCO3−) ...

paper towel A paper towel is an absorbent, disposable towel made from paper. In Britain, paper towels for kitchen use are also known as kitchen rolls, kitchen paper, or kitchen towels. For home use, paper towels are usually sold in a roll of perforated shee ...

s, etc., all of which absorb hazardous materials from the victim. After absorption is completed using an absorbent material and immediate danger has passed, the contaminated surface should be blotted with a wet paper towel. An absorbent material increases in volume when a contaminant is absorbed.

DEC'POL

The DEC'POL® Emergency Decontamination Mitt is a polyvalent device that incorporates superabsorbent material with active agents for the destruction of chemical and biological contamination. The mitt was developed and is produced in

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...

, France, by clothes and fabric manufacturer Ouvry SAS. DEC'POL is available in cases of 20 mitts. 600003 DECPOL 1

FiberTect

FiberTect is a multi-layer

nonwoven Nonwoven fabric is a fabric-like material made from staple fibre (short) and long fibres (continuous long), bonded together by chemical, mechanical, heat or solvent treatment. The term is used in the textile manufacturing industry to denote fabri ...

composite fabric that absorbs and adsorbs chemical, biological, and radiological contaminants. It is made of two layers of

polyester Polyester is a category of polymers that contain the ester functional group in every repeat unit of their main chain. As a specific material, it most commonly refers to a type called polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Polyesters include natural ...

with an inner layer of fibrous activated

carbon Carbon () is a chemical element with the symbol C and atomic number 6. It is nonmetallic and tetravalent In chemistry, the valence (US spelling) or valency (British spelling) of an element is the measure of its combining capacity with o ...

. The three layers are needle-punched to form a single fabric that allows the material to be structurally sound while creating void spaces for better absorption and

adsorption Adsorption is the adhesion of atoms, ions or molecules from a gas, liquid or dissolved solid to a surface. This process creates a film of the ''adsorbate'' on the surface of the ''adsorbent''. This process differs from absorption, in which a f ...

. FiberTect is available in wipes or mitts, which remove up to 90% of contaminants.

RSDL

RSDL (or Reactive Skin Decontamination Lotion) consists of an absorbent sponge applicator and a lotion that neutralizes toxic agents. RSDL removes or neutralizes chemical warfare agents, T-2 toxins, and pesticides.

Fuller's earth

Fuller's earth is any clay material that has the ability to absorb oil, grease, etc. without chemical treatment. It is also used for filtering, clarifying, decoloring, and as a filler in paint. It is used by the military and first responders to decontaminate clothing and equipment.

Adsorbent materials

Adsorbent materials adhere to and encapsulate contaminants on various surfaces. Adsorbent materials do not increase in volume when a contaminant is absorbed.

Vacuuming

Vacuuming physically removes solid materials from victims and the contaminated environment. Vacuuming should only be done when the victim and all people in the vicinity are wearing respiratory protection and the usefulness of vacuuming can be limited by the availability of supplies, equipment, and electricity.

Pressurized air

Pressurized air uses low-pressure air streams to remove solid, dry contaminants from equipment and the environment. As with vacuuming, the use of pressurized air should be limited to situations where all people in the contaminated area are wearing personal protective equipment (PPE). The use of pressurized air is often not recommended because there are many hazards associated with the method, including respiratory and skin damage.

Dry decon vs. wet decon

Advantages of dry decontamination

Dry decontamination reduces concerns associated with cold weather decontamination while also speeding up the decontamination process by allowing victims to self-decontaminate (or be decontaminated by a

first responder A first responder is a person with specialized training who is among the first to arrive and provide assistance or incident resolution at the scene of an emergency, such as an accident, disaster, medical emergency, structure fire, crime, or terr ...

with minimal cross-contamination). In addition, some contaminants are water-reactive and wet decontamination methods may only increase the potential hazards.

Time effectiveness

The deployment of a dry decontamination system allows the victim to assist in his/her own decontamination. In addition, dry decontamination operations are expedited by allowing for the quick removal of contaminants from the victim's skin, reducing the amount of time a victim is in contact with the contamination (which therefore minimizes the potential harm caused).

Cold weather decontamination

When conducting decontamination in temperatures below 36 °F, dry decontamination can be an effective solution that prevents more casualties resulting from

hypothermia Hypothermia is defined as a body core temperature below in humans. Symptoms depend on the temperature. In mild hypothermia, there is shivering and mental confusion. In moderate hypothermia, shivering stops and confusion increases. In severe h ...

. Other sources recommend that wet decontamination be avoided in external temperatures of below 65 °F to avoid the adverse effects of

cold shock Cold shock response is a series of neurogenic cardio-respiratory responses caused by sudden immersion in cold water. In cold water immersions, such as by falling through thin ice, cold shock response is perhaps the most common cause of death. Als ...

Logistical issues

Wet decontamination lines require not only a water source, but occasionally electricity for deployment. As a rule, dry decontamination is faster both in deployment and clean-up as it does not require an immediate water supply, contaminated water collection basin, resources (like hoses, nozzles, shelters, and other large pieces of equipment), or a large number of personnel.

Mass casualty decontamination

Large-scale decontamination often involves civilians who, unlike soldiers and responders, are not trained in decontamination methods. Currently, wet decontamination is most frequently used in large-scale decontamination efforts, during which civilians are directed by soldiers and responders to shower (usually with water and a detergent or bleach). Dry decontamination is proving to be a safer, more effective method of decontamination for large-scale incidents.

References

{{Reflist Hygiene