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Decontamination of chemical?Decontamination is the process of cleansing to remove contamination, or the possibility (or fear) of contamination. Decontamination is sometimes abbreviated as "decon", "dcon", or "decontam". Persons suspected of being contaminated are usually separated by sex, and led into either a decon tent, or a decon trailer, where they shed their potentially contamined clothes in a stripdown room. Then they enter a washdown room where they are showered. Finally they enter a drying and re-robing room to be issued clean clothing, or a white Tyvek jumpsuit, or the like. Some more structured facilities, as shown in the drawing, include six rooms (stripdown room, washdown room, examination room, for each of men's and women's side). Some facilities, such as Modec's, and many others, are remotely operable, and function like "human carwashes". In describing the plans for Los Angeles authorities, by The ACI World Aviation Security Standing Committee: "The disinfection/decontamination process is akin to putting humans through a car wash after first destroying their garments". Los Angeles World Airports have put in place a contingency plan to disinfect up to 10,000 persons who might have been exposed to biological or chemical substances." |