Medical Aspects of Chemical Warfare (2008) - The Black Vault

Occupational Health and the Chemical Surety MissionFig. 18-3. Chemical agent operators wear Level C protectiveclothing in a professional laboratory research setting todiscover and develop medical countermeasures and therapeuticsto chemical warfare agents.Photograph: Courtesy of US Army Medical Research Instituteof Chemical Defense, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md.Fig. 18-4. Soldiers from the 22nd Chemical Battalion (TechnicalEscort) work in Level C protective clothing to conduct asampling mission.Photograph: Courtesy of Major Chadwick T Bauld, 22ndChemical Battalion, Technical Escort, US Army 20th SupportCommand, CBRNE.which are at least partially automated. However, theworker must handle chemical agents during otherphases of the treatment and disposal process. Forexample, operators at the Aberdeen Biological ChemicalAgent Disposal Facility drain mustard agent fromton containers using a glovebox in the neutralizationprocess (Figure 18-2). During this procedure, workersdon Level C protective clothing consisting of workcoveralls, safety glasses with side shields, and M40A1protective masks worn in the slung position.In a research laboratory setting such as USAM-RICD, chemical agent operators conduct experimentsto discover and develop medical countermeasuresto and therapeutics for chemical warfare agents. Theexperimental parameters, and therefore the workingconditions, are tightly regulated to maintain a climatecontrolledenvironment. Agent operators conductstudies in a certified chemical fume hood, and preliminaryairflow measurements are taken using a worker’svelometer. Operators wear several layers of PPE, asshown in Figure 18-3, and work in Level C protectiveclothing. The first layer of PPE is a laboratory coat andnitrile gloves. The second, outer layer of PPE consistsof a 7-mm–thick butyl rubber apron and butyl rubbergloves. Many operators wear a second pair of nitrilegloves over the butyl rubber gloves to improve dexterity.Laboratory safety glasses with side shields areworn at all times and protective masks are kept readilyavailable or are worn in a slung position.The mission of the 22nd Chemical Battalion is todeploy task-organized teams throughout the worldto conduct technical escort and chemical, biological,radiological, and nuclear hazard characterization,monitoring, disablement, and elimination supportoperations. The 22nd Chemical Battalion providesemergency response to incidents involving weapons ofmass destruction and chemical, biological, radiological,and nuclear hazards, homeland defense, contingencysupport operations to combatant commanders andlead federal agencies, and site remediation and restorationsupport operations for the Department of Defense.The battalion works at a high operational tempo in awide variety of settings, including hostile and austereenvironments. In addition to the PPE and engineeringcontrols described above, battalion members usespecialized protective measures unique to each mission(Figure 18-4). If the members are faced with anunknown agent or unsafe oxygen level, they requirea higher respiratory protection level (Level B or LevelA, with self-contained breathing apparatus).MEDICAL SURVEILLANCE FOR CHEMICAL AGENT WORKERSMedical surveillance is the systematic collection,analysis, and dissemination of disease data on groupsof workers. It is designed to detect early signs of workrelatedillness. 7 A chemical worksite medical programshould provide the following surveillance: preplacementscreening, periodic medical examinations (with597