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Personal Articles: In addition to being decontaminated, protective clothing, and other personal articles must be sanitized before they can be used again. The insides of clothing become soiled from exhalation, body oils, and perspiration. If practical,protective clothing should be machine washed after a thorough decontamination. Otherwise,it should be cleaned by hand. Insmunents: Monitoring equipment should be protected as much as possible from contamination. Drape, mask, or otherwise cover as much of the instruments as possible with plastic without hindering the operation of the unit. Contaminated instruments will be taken from the drop area; their protective coverings removed and disposed of in appropriate containers. Any remaining dirt or obvious contamination will be brushed or wiped with a damp disposable paper wipe. The units can then be placed in a clean plastic tub,taken inside,wiped with damp disposable wipes and dried. Be aware that many instrument manufacturers and rental companies will not accept contaminated equipment for repair, and that a heavily contaminated piece of equipment, if improperly handled,may have to be disposed of as hazardous waste. 8.4 DISPOSAL OF DECONTAMINATION WASTES Wastes generated from decontamination activities collected during the project will be handled in a manner, which does not cause exposure to workers or affect the environment. Wastes must be stored in sealed DOT 17-H drums until profiled for disposal or further handling. All excavated soil management activities can be performed in Level D PPE. Waste PPE and equipment will also be placed into appropriate containers. No sampling of this waste is anticipated because they will present only minimal hazards to personnel.All activities involving these containers can be accomplished in Level D PPE. 8.5 DECONTAMINATION DURING EMERGENCIES Often during emergencies the need to quickly respond to an accident or injury must be weighed against the risk to the injured party from chemical exposure. It may be that the time lost or the additional handling of an injured person during the decontamination process may cause greater harm to the individual than the exposure that would be received by undressing that person without proper decontamination. Decisions concerning the appropriate decontamination process during an emergency must be made by the SSO, with consideration to the following: Physical Injury: Physical injuries can range from minor to life threatening. In severe instances life-saving care should be instituted immediately without considering decontamination, however in most cases normal decontamination procedures can be followed. Heat Stress: Heat-related illness ranges from heat fatigue to heat stroke,the latter being the most serious.Heat stroke requires prompt treatment to prevent irreversible damage to health or death, and protective clothing may have to be cut off to allow more rapid treatment. Less serious forms of heat stress may require prompt attention or they may lead to a heat stroke. As a guide, if the victim is able to adequately perform decontamination without unusual assistance, no special procedures should be attempted. If the victim is too incapacitated to perform a normal decontamination routine, then emergency decontamination and prompt medical care are warranted. Chemical Exposure: When protective clothing is grossly contaminated, contaminants may be transferred to the wearer or to treatment personnel and cause injuries. Using the same criteria as for heat stress, if the victim is able to adequately perform decontamination without unusual assistance, no special procedures should be attempted. If the victim is too incapacitated to perform a normal decontamination routine, then emergency decontamination and prompt medical care are warranted, but unless severe medical problems could result, any significantly contaminated protective clothing should be washed off as rapidly as possible and carefully removed. Page 30