Equipment decontamination is a process used to clean equipment after exposure to chemical, biological, or radiological contaminants. Some equipment is designed for easy decontamination, while others may require special protocols. Decontamination procedures usually involve isolating contaminated equipment, cleaning it with appropriate methods, and testing for contamination. Emergency services have implemented large-scale responses to contamination incidents.
Equipment decontamination is a process designed to clean equipment after it has been contaminated or after it has been used in a situation where contamination may have occurred. Some types of equipment are specifically designed to be easily decontaminated, such as hospital equipment, while others may need to use special protocols. Equipment decontamination can be used to clean equipment after exposure to chemical, biological, or radiological contaminants, and also for the purpose of maintaining a “clean room” free of dust and other contaminants that could interfere with an industrial process.
Equipment used in environments where cleanliness is of vital importance and contamination can occur on a regular basis has been designed for decontamination. It is made of materials that are easily removed, for example, and the equipment will not be damaged by exposure to decontamination measures such as ultraviolet radiation, irradiation, soap and water, heat, and so on. The equipment is usually designed to be decontaminated in a particular way. Some examples of this type of equipment include hospital equipment, equipment used in the manufacturing of electronic components, equipment in chemical companies, and equipment used in food manufacturing.
Other equipment may not be designed with contamination in mind, which can make cleaning more difficult when unexpected contamination occurs. Following a release of radioactive material, for example, equipment decontamination can be used to clean equipment that has been exposed to the material so that it can be recovered and reused, rather than abandoned. In these cases, it may be necessary to develop a decontamination method customized for the specific situation.
Decontamination procedures usually begin with isolating contaminated equipment so it cannot spread contamination. Then, the equipment can be cleaned with the methods most appropriate for the equipment and tested to see if contamination is still present. The decontamination of some equipment is fully automated; surgical instruments, for example, are decontaminated in an autoclave. In other cases, people have to do the decontamination by hand, such as when an ambulance is decontaminated after a patient with a blood-borne disease bleeds heavily in transit.
In facilities where contamination is a risk, there are usually equipment decontamination protocols that people can follow when contamination occurs. In addition to decontaminating equipment, it is often necessary to decontaminate people who have also been exposed. In many regions, emergency services have implemented large-scale responses to contamination incidents, such as a response that might be required if a chemical or biological agent were released in a city.
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