CONTAMINATED REMAINS

File: 970101_sep96_decls54_0001.txt
Page: 0001
Total Pages: 2

Subject: CONTAMINATED REMAINS                                            

Unit: OTSG        

Parent Organization: HSC         

Box  ID: BX003205

Folder Title: CONTAMINATED REMAINS                                                                            

Document Number:          1

Folder Seq  #:         18






                                   DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
                                   OFFICE OF TVIE SURGEON GENERAL
                                       5109 LEESBURG PIKE
                                    FALLS CHURCH, VA 22041-3258
                   REPLY TO
                   @om OF

               SGPS-PSP


               MEMORANDUM TIIRU Commander, U.S. Army Medical Research and
                                 Development Command, Fort Detrick,
                                 Frederick, MD 21701-5012

               FOR Commander, U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of
                     Infectious Disease, Fort Detrick, Frederick,
                    MD 21701-5012

               SUBJECT: Contaminated Remains


               1. There are medical risks associated with the handling and
               transporting of human remains contaminated with chemical (CW)
               and/or biological (BW) agents. One option being studied for
               reducing this risk is to temporarily bury contaminated remains
               in the area of operations to allow the decomposition process to
               degrade or el @ nate CW or BW contamination.

               2. The Army leadership wishes to repatriate the remains as
               soon as possible without jeopardizing the health of the general
               public or military personnel handling these remains.
               3. Request subject matter experts assigned to your command
               provide a response to the following questions. Your response
               will be used as the basis for an AMEDD position to the Army
               leadership.

                  a. Assuming the decomposition of human remains following
               burial will reduce or eliminate the risk of CW or BW
               contamination, how long will it take to achieve maximum
               benefits of internment, e.g., the greatest reduction of
               contamination?

 to those
               exhuming remains after this time period?

                  C. Are there additional techniques which could be used at
               the time of burial which would hasten the CW/BW decomposition
               process or reduce the environmental contamination? For
               example, is @e or supertropical bleach useful in this regard?
                  d. If the remains were placed in a remains pouch, would it
               be preferable to use a water permeable (Type I) or water
               impermeable (Type II) pouch?

Document 2 f:/Week-36/BX003205/CONTAMINATED REMAINS/contaminated remains:12249609314055
Control Fields 17
File Room = sep96_declassified
File Cabinet = Week-36
Box ID = BX003205
Unit = OTSG
Parent Organization = HSC
Folder Title = CONTAMINATED REMAINS
Folder Seq # = 18
Subject = CONTAMINATED REMAINS
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 = 24-DEC-1996