Mass Decontamination of Special and Disabled Groups Following an Urban CBRN Incident

This book presents a comprehensive overview of the Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) agents, their characteristics and categories, their malevolent uses, and the consequences resulting from these agents on human's health, especially from contamination (whether external or internal) and cross-contamination that might be significant if the incident/attack takes place in an urban area. It also suggests measures and recommendations that should be adopted following an urban CBRN event to reduce the cross-contamination dangers by introducing different decontamination techniques, categories, and decontaminants. The second part of the book highlights the different needs of civilians (logistics, psychological support, etc.) following such an unconventional incident and precisely the needs of special and disabled groups (toddlers, children, pregnant women, people with cognitive, mobility, and sensory impairments, homeless, refugees, the elderly, etc.) that differs from ordinary people's needs, where additional logistics and personnel are required. Moreover, special Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), guidelines, techniques, and various kinds of support are required during their decontamination process due to their fragility. In addition to proactive strategies that may prepare their appetite for such an unfortunate event, additional resources must be available on the scene.