Chapter 44: Hazardous Materials Flashcards
hazardous material
one that in any quantity poses a threat or unreasonable risk to life, health, or property if not properly controlled during manufacture, processing, packaging, handling, storage. transportation, use, and disposal
TRACEMA
acronym to remember the types of damage that can be caused by hazardous materials:
Thermal
Radiological
Asphyxiation
Chemical
Etiological
Mechanical
amount of damage depends on
route of exposure, dose, concentration, amount of times patient is exposed
placard
four sided, diamond-shaped sign that designates hazardous materials in transit on roadways
emergency response guidebook sections
Yellow: name of chemical can be found here by matching it to the UN number
Blue: lists hazardous materials by name in alphabetical order, cross-referenced with UN number, provides the appropriate guide number for each material
Orange: all hazardous materials listed are grouped into 1 to 63 guide numbers, provides info about PPE, evacuation distances, spill control, fire control, first aid measures
Green: denotes the chemical presents a specific hazard as a toxic industrial hazard when spilled
first responder awareness
training level for those who are likely to witness or discover a hazardous materials emergency
first responder operations
training level for those who initially respond to hazardous material emergencies
hazardous materials technician
training level for rescuers who actually plug, patch, or stop the release of a hazardous material
hazardous materials specialist
training level for rescuers who have advanced knowledge and skills who provide command and support activities at the site of a hazardous materials emergency
RAIN
R: recognize that a hazardous materials incident has occurred
A: avoid contact with the hazardous substance
I: isolate the area
N: notify the appropriate authorities or response agencies
decontamination
the removal of hazardous substances from exposed individuals to the extent necessary to prevent the occurrence of foreseeable adverse harm
safety zone
established, rescue operations and a specific sequence of decontamination procedures take place
hot zone
aka exclusion zone or contamination zone, where contamination can be present, restricted, only work done is hazard assessment, rescue, control of hazard
warm zone
aka contamination reduction zone or control zone, immediately adjacent to hot zone, all personnel must wear appropriate protective gear, prevents spread of contamination, work done: lifesaving emergency care, initial decontamination efforts
cold zone
aka the support zone or safe zone, shouldn’t contain any contamination, continue emergency care here
exposure to radiation
when the patient is in the presence of radioactive material but it does not touch clothing or body, patient does not become radioactive
contamination from radiation
when the patient has direct contact with the source of radioactivity
two major principles about radiation-related accidents
- protect yourself and others from contamination
- no EMT should ever attempt to decontaminate a radiation patient
factors to protect from radiation
- time
- distance
- shielding
- quantity
radiation sickness
caused by exposure to large amounts of radiation
radiation injury
local injury that is generally caused by exposure to large amounts of less penetrating particles
radiation poisoning
when the patient has been exposed to dangerous amounts of internal radiation
clandestine drug laboratories
illegal drug production and processing locations operated by criminals for the manufacture and distribution of illegal drugs
