Ch. 11: Decontamination

Question 1

What needs to be an adaptive and flexible process that respects the hazards and behavior of the contaminants, as well as human behavior in stressful and changing events?

Answer 1

Decon

Question 2

What process basically involves the physical removal of contaminants from personnel and equipment?

Answer 2

the process of decontamination

Question 3

What is the first rule of decontamination?

Answer 3

avoid contamination

Question 4

What is any form of hazardous material that physically remains on people, animals, or objects?

Answer 4

contamination

Question 5

What means that a person has been subjected to a toxic substance or harmful physical agent through any route of entry into the body?

Answer 5

exposure

Question 6

What is the most common cause of responder and response equipment contaminations?

Answer 6

From poor organization and discipline exercised during decontamination and clean-up operations.

Question 7

What are the two general types of contamination?

Answer 7

surface and permeation

Question 8

What are found on the outer surface of a material but have not been absorbed into the material?

Answer 8

surface contaminants

Question 9

What are generally viewed as being absorbed into a material at the molecular level but they also permeate into the microscopic physical spaces between fibers and fabrics?

Answer 9

permeation contaminants

Question 10

What occurs when a person comes in direct physical contact with a contaminant or when a person comes into contact with any object that has the contaminant on it?

Answer 10

direct contamination

Question 11

What occurs when a person who is already contaminated makes contact with a person or object that was not previously contaminated?

Answer 11

secondary contamination

Question 12

What is the process of altering the chemical structure of the contaminant through the use of a second chemical or material?

Answer 12

chemical degradation

Question 13

What is the process used on corrosives to bring the pH of the final solution to somewhere within the range of pH 5 to 9?

Answer 13

neutralization

Question 14

What is a process by which a contaminant physically or chemically bonds to another object or is encapsulated by it?

Answer 14

solidification

Question 15

What is the process used to inactivate (kill) recognized pathogenic microorganisms?

Answer 15

disinfection

Question 16

What are the two major categories of disinfectants?

Answer 16

chemical and antiseptic disinfectants

Question 17

What is the process of destroying all microorganisms in or on an object?

Answer 17

sterilization

Question 18

When should the effectiveness of any decon method be assessed?

Answer 18

At the beginning of the decon operation and periodically throughout the operation.

Question 19

What is the ideal outdoor decon site?

Answer 19

upwind and uphill from the incident, close enough to the scene to limit the spread of contaminants

Question 20

What consideration should be given when conducting decon indoors?

Answer 20

Quick access such as hallways, type and slope of floor, floor drains, and ventilation airflows in the area.

Question 21

What is the initial phase of the decontamination process during which the amount of surface contaminant is significantly reduced?

Answer 21

gross decontamination

Question 22

What is the second phase of decontamination process that is designed to physically or chemically remove surface contaminants to a safe and acceptable level?

Answer 22

secondary decontamination

Question 23

What is the physical process of immediately reducing contamination of individuals in potentially life threatening situations with or without the formal establishment of a decon corridor?

Answer 23

emergency decontamination

Question 24

What is the most important concept of emergency decon?

Answer 24

Clean the contaminated person as soon as possible.

Question 25

What is the planned and systematic process of reducing contamination to a level of ALARA?

Answer 25

technical decontamination

Question 26

What is a multistep process in which contaminated individuals are cleansed with the assistance of trained personnel?

Answer 26

technical decontamination

Question 27

What is established when large numbers of people need to be decontaminated at the scene of a hazmat emergency?

Answer 27

mass decontamination

Question 28

What activities consists of any work performed at the emergency scene by emergency responders, which is directed toward removing the contamination from protective clothing, tools, dirt, water, and so on?

Answer 28

clean-up activities

Question 29

What should be held for those individuals involved in decontamination and clean-up as soon as practical?

Answer 29

a debriefing