Document Page: First | Prev | Next | All | Image | This Release | Search

Subject: MEDICAL DEFENSE AGAINST BIOLOGICAL MATERIAL                     

Unit: OTSG        

Parent Organization: HSC         

Box  ID: BX003201

Folder Title: MEDICAL DEFENSE AGAINST BIOLOGICAL MATERIAL                                                     

Document Number:       1001

Folder Seq  #:         31




                                        UNCLASSIFIED









            or intoxication by ingestion. Assurance that food and water
            supplies are free from contamination should be provided by
            appropriate preventive-medicine authorities in the event of
            an attack.

            . Dermal: Intact skin provides an excellent barrier for
            many but not all biological agents. Mucous membranes and
            abraded, or otherwise damaged, integument can, however,
            allow for passage of some bacteria and toxins, and should be
            protected in the event of an attack.

            Phv.qi@nl Protection: The most effective and singularly most
          important prophylaxis in defense against biological warfare
          agents is physical protection. Preventing exposure of the
          respiratory tract and mucous membranes (to include
          conjunctivae) to infectious and/or toxic aerosols through use
          of a full-face respirator will prevent exposure, and should,
          theoretically, obviate the need for additional measures.
          Chemical protective masks effectively filter biological hazards.

                   Mination, Protection of Health Care Personnel: Any
          dermal exposure should be treated by soap and water
          decontamination. This can follow any needed use of chemical
          decontaminants but should be prompt. Secondary contamination
          from clothing, etc. of exposed soldiers to medical care
          personnel may be important, particularly from those individuals
          exposed near the dissemination source where large particle
          deposition may occur. Since it will be difficult to
          distinguish those soldiers exposed near the source from those
          contaminated some distance away, proper physical protection of
          health care providers or other persons handling exposed
          personnel should be maintained until decontamination is
hemical exposure as well. Clinical
          laboratory samples for toxin-exposed subjects can be dealt with
          routinely. Patients showing signs of pneumonic plaque
          generally should be considered hazardous, as some will disperse
          plague bacilli by aerosol. Anthrax could present a risk from
          open lesions or blood which could result in cutaneous anthrax.
          Anthrax does not pose a threat of aerosol dissemination from
          blood or during autopsy procedures, but sporulation of bacilli
          exposed to air theoretically could occur, with subsequent
          inhalation. On the other hand, plague and tularemia bacilli
          may be dangerous, since, under some circumstances, they are
          known to cause aerosol infections. Therefore, postmortem



                                          2



                                        UNCLASSIFIED

Document Page: First | Prev | Next | All | Image | This Release | Search

Document 23 f:/Week-36/BX003201/MEDICAL DEFENSE AGAINST BIOLOGICAL MATERIAL/medical defense against biological material:12249609313138
Control Fields 17
File Room = sep96_declassified
File Cabinet = Week-36
Box ID = BX003201
Unit = OTSG
Parent Organization = HSC
Folder Title = MEDICAL DEFENSE AGAINST BIOLOGICAL MATERIAL
Folder Seq # = 31
Subject = MEDICAL DEFENSE AGAINST BIOLOGICAL MATERIAL
Document Seq # = 1001
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 = 24-DEC-1996