CONTAMINATED REMAINS 18 JANUARY 91

File: 120396_sep96_decls45_0001.txt
Page: 0001
Total Pages: 4

Subject: CONTAMINATED REMAINS  18 JANUARY 91                             

Unit: OTSG        

Parent Organization: HSC         

Box ID: BX003204

Folder Title: CONTAMINATED REMAINS                                                                            

Document Number:          1

Folder SEQ  #:         13








              SGRD-UIZ-A                                                                             18 January 1991


              MEMORANDUM THRU                                          Medical Research and Development Command, Fort
                                                                       MD 21701-5012


              FOR The Surgeon General, Department of the Army, 5101 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-3258


              SUBJECT: Contaminated Remains


              1. The following information was developed by subject matter experts at USAMRIID in close coordination
              with Col. Dunn, Commander ICD and Dr. Froede, Chief Medical Exaniiner, AFIP pursuant to your
              tasking received 16 Jan 91.


              2. Answers to the four specific questions raised will vary somewhat depending on the agents eventually
              determined to be present. The following paragraphs refer to the corresponding questions 3a-d in the
              tasking:


                       a. Maximum achievable decontamination benefits of interment %ill be achieved after a period of 6
              weeks. There may be other considerations since the time and format of interment may influence processing
              the remains (completion of putrefaction, mummification, etc). For specific agents:
                                 Botulinum and other protein toxins: 1 week
                                 Tularemia and most bacterial pathogens: 4-6 weeks
                                 Anthrax vegetative forms: 6-8 weeks
                                 Anthrax spores: 6-8 weeks
                                 Nerve agent: I week
                                 Mustard: Uncertain (weeksr?)


                       b. Health risks to those exhuniing botulinum or most bacterial agent casualties will be minimal.
              Surgical mask, gown, and gloves coupled with vaccination and medical monitoring would be sufficient
 exceptions there will likely be spore contamination and
              more elaborate precautions are indicated; the exhumed body must be processed further and personal
              protective gear including respirator (but not necessarily MOPP4) will be required. If CW agent exposure
              was a possibility, then testing for residual contamination should be performed and additional measures
              may be indicated.


                       c. There is probably no acceptable procedure which could be applied at the time of initial burial
              to significantly decrease subsequent risk to the environment or to those exhuming the body. This presumes
              that incineration is not possible and that processing must involve minimal logistical conunitment. Most
              bacterial and biological toxin agents will d@y after simple interment and the marginal improvement that
              might obtain in the case of anthrax is not significant in the over-all picture.
                       Addition of supertropical bleach to the remains pouch would decrease the amount of surface BW
              and CW agent on the cadaver. However, no surface decontan-dnating agent will suffire Lo inactivate
              inhaled infectious agent deposited in the lung, infectious agent driven into the body after trauma, or
              infectious organisms deep within a bacteren-iic cadaver. (Botulinum toxin and CW agents in tissues are
              rapidly inactivated.) Hypochlorite is active against the agents in question, but is corrosive and quite
              sensitive to inactivation by organic material. Other generators of active chlorine (eg, sodium chlorite

Document 4 f:/Week-36/BX003204/CONTAMINATED REMAINS/contaminated remains 18 january 91:1122961634153
Control Fields 17
File Room = sep96_declassified
File Cabinet = Week-36
Box ID = BX003204
Unit = OTSG
Parent Organization = HSC
Folder Title = CONTAMINATED REMAINS
Folder Seq # = 13
Subject = CONTAMINATED REMAINS 18 JANUARY 91
Document Seq # = 1
Document Date =
Scan Date =
Queued for Declassification = 01-JAN-1980
Short Term Referral = 01-JAN-1980
Long Term Referral = 01-JAN-1980
Permanent Referral = 01-JAN-1980
Non-Health Related Document = 01-JAN-1980
Declassified = 22-NOV-1996