اشترك في قائمة البريدية

Information On Portable Decontamination Shower

By Jennifer Long


Contact with chemicals, radioactive substances and infectious materials cause a person to be contaminated. This causes a great risk to the health and life of a person unless immediate action is taken to remove the contagious material. In such cases it is necessary to use portable decontamination shower for remedy.

The equipments used for cleaning the body and the site are also known as decon units. They are employed in case a person becomes contaminated with infectious agents, radioactive and chemicals. Accidents can occur at a manufacturing plant of the chemical or when the product is being transported away from the factory. Terrorists use toxic chemicals that are radioactive and cause gruesome effects on the life of people. Other times there are outbreaks of highly contagious diseases that have to be contained.

Industries that deal with toxic chemicals require their workers to decontaminate after work to avoid intake of the chemical by the body of the person and spreading it. This is done on a routine basis. However, the United States Department of Labor expects such companies to also have emergency services in case mass accidents occur. When an exposure occurs, the cleaning services are done on the accident site. Now the best option will be to have potable decons that can be set at a convenient spot and serve more people.

Decon showers are made to produce a lot of water that covers the whole body at a go. For this, they have large shower heads. The most important aspect for the unit is adequate supply of water from a mobile source. Water is used for cleaning the body and the equipment itself. The water must be warm to ensure decontamination takes place. The American National standard Institute terms the water warmth to be tepid. The equipments should be made of steel to prevent bacterial build up.

Modern devices have sensors that activate the system once a person steps in cleaning zone. The unit should be able to accommodate the ambulant and non ambulant victims in a favorable way. To ensure comfort of the victim, the environment should be well heated. The unit should be set up such that there is good air flow to avoid contamination of air from evaporating chemicals. The flow rate of water must be high.

There are a variety of decon equipments that the market has to offer. The latest models are lighter despite being metal cased. There are brief case sized units that are collapsible. New trends provide equipments that are fast and easy to set up and disassemble. They should be easy to transport and store. In spite of the unit being mobile, it should have the right length, width and height that can accommodate all sizes of people.

For effectiveness, the decon units should be set in the chemically exposed areas. They should be within reach by walking for about ten seconds. The process of decontamination involves three steps. The first part involves undressing and stripping. Then the casualty steps in the cleaning unit. For optimum results, the person should stay in the shower for at least fifteen minutes. In the last part, the person is given clean clothes and taken to the hospitals depending on the case.

The equipment should be set in a safe place. Care should be taken to prevent more trauma experience on the victim. The sooner the action is taken after an accident, the better the outcome.




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