Safety Keypoint

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Safety Keypoint 5

• Only those emergency personnel in the proper
  level of (compatible) protective clothing and
  positive pressure SCBA who are actively
  performing emergency operations are to operate
  within the inner perimeter

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8) Legal Requirements
Perimeter Protection

• safe distances and places of refuge
• written plans procedures

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Conceptual examples
8) Legal Requirements
of hot zone perimeter distances
Isolate for

• Minor incident 100'
• Major incident 500'
• Explosion potential 1/2 mile
• in all directions

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Safety Keypoint 6

• Minimum safety perimeter for citizens 1,000
  feet beyond inner perimeter boundaries in open
  areas

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9) Toxic Exposure
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Types of Exposure
9) Toxic Exposure

• Local exposure
• The site of action is the point where the toxin
  actually contacts living tissue

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Types of Exposure
9) Toxic Exposure

• Systemic exposure
• Poisoning damage that is not present at the point
  of contact, but is present within the victim
  because of the absorption and distribution of the
  chemical within the body

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Routes of Exposure Inhalation
9) Toxic Exposure

• Inhalation is the most common type of exposure
  for first responders occurs by
• approaching the scene from downwind
• approaching the scene without caution...

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Routes of Exposure Inhalation
9) Toxic Exposure

• wind shift or vapor cloud envelopes command
  post positioned too close
• failure to wear positive pressure SCBA
• failure to decontaminate personnel or equipment

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Safety Keypoint 7

• To avoid inhalation hazards, positive pressure
  SCBA must be properly worn, used, and maintained

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To prevent downwindinhalation exposure
9) Toxic Exposure

• recognize the potential for downwind hazards to
  be present
• utilize personnel in the proper level of
  personal protective clothing to expand downwind
  perimeters to well beyond the hazardous area

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Routes of Exposure Ingestion
9) Toxic Exposure

• Ingestion is the least common type of exposure
• Emergency responders can unknowingly ingest toxic
  material while eating, smoking or drinking
  following any exposure to toxic material

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Safety Keypoint 8

• Never eat, smoke, or drink at or around hazardous
  material incident scenes until you decontaminate
  and wash your hands, face, and hair thoroughly

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Routes of Exposure Absorption
9) Toxic Exposure

• Absorption is the second most frequent type of
  exposure, resulting from skin contact with the
  material

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Routes of Exposure Absorption
9) Toxic Exposure

• The skin is the largest organ of the body and
  performs many vital functions in addition to
  protecting the internal organs

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Routes of Exposure Absorption
9) Toxic Exposure

• Effects of skin exposure
• 1) irritation
• 2) chemical burns
• 3) penetration absorption

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Safety Keypoint 9

• Consult protective clothing compatibility data to
  ensure available protective clothing is
  compatible with the hazardous material(s) involved

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Available Toxicity Data on100,000 Known
Hazardous Materials
9) Toxic Exposure
1.2

• Toxicity data available
• No data available

988
98.8
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Human health effects of exposure
9) Toxic Exposure

• Acute
• Immediate
• Delayed

• Chronic
• Delayed

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Acute Exposure Immediate effects
9) Toxic Exposure

• dizziness
• vomiting
• death
• caustic/thermal burns
• respiratory complications
• central nervous system reactions

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Acute Exposure Delayed effects
9) Toxic Exposure

• central nervous system reactions
• pulmonary edema (fluid in the lungs)
• death or permanent disability

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Chronic Exposure Cumulative effects
9) Toxic Exposure

• decreased liver function
• cancer
• respiratory breakdown
• heart trouble

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Effects of inhalation of chemicals
9) Toxic Exposure

• irritation
• asphyxiation
• systemic problems
• sensitizer/allergen

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Effects on the Nervous System
9) Toxic Exposure

• Peripheral nervous system
• twitching or tremors
• numbness in toes and fingers
• tingling

• Central nervous system
• constricted pupils
• profuse sweating
• headache
• chest and/or abdominal pain
• disorientation
• decline in mental awareness
• convulsions
• unconsciousness or coma

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9) Toxic Exposure

• Often chemicals can mix during a HazMat incident
• resulting in a reaction where a new substance is
  formed

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Biomedical Hazards
9) Toxic Exposure

• laboratory specimens
• medical waste material
• biological warfare agents