Managing Hazardous Material Incidents (MHMI)

[NurseRatchet]

Spills are an infrequent but serious risk in the transportation of chemicals. While most happen in urban or manufacturing areas, there is still risk of spill in remote areas crossed by rails or roads. Risk may increase in third world nations where maintenance or regulation of transportation infrastructure has deteriorated.

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) of the CDC publishes Managing Hazardous Material Incidents Link (http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/mhmi.html). Files are available in PDF format for downloading.


The MHMI series was developed to provide emergency medical services (EMS) personnel and hospital emergency departments (EDs) with the necessary guidance to plan for, and improve their ability to respond to, incidents that involve human exposure to hazardous materials. The guidelines inform emergency personnel how to appropriately decontaminate, treat, and recommend follow-up care to exposed persons, as well as take measures to protect themselves.

Volume III - Medical Management Guidelines (MMGs) for Acute Chemical Exposures are guides for management and treatment of specific chemical exposures.

[Reasonable Rascal]

Wonderful find, a quick run through of the site reveals a LOT of info there. I can tell the printer is going to be busy for a while. Just the Mustard agents alone comprise some 26 pages of materials. And that's just one chapter.

I know, I had to pick out Mustard agents of all of them. Read this week past where French farmers still on rare occasions found the odd Mustard cannister yet, left over from WWI. Once deployed it breaks down over a long period of time but confined to cannisters it remains hazardous until broken by accident or deterioration of the container. Hence, strange as it may seem we still see Mustard Gas casualties even today.

Hydrogen Sulfide is another one that is common in industrial settings being a byproduct of vegetative decay. All too common in sewers and other confined spaces and the cause of deaths every year in the US. 20 pages covering everything from emergnecy response to hospital management and even Peds.

Best manual on the subject of hazardous chemical exposure I have seen in a long time. My personal references pale by comparison as far as depth.

RR

[tangent]

sent a request to CDC for the training CD - it's a freebe if you are in the business (EMS/VFD/etc). It came today - requested maybe 4-5 days ago - very fast turn arround. I havn't watched the vid yet, but it came as a 2 CD set w/ all the manuals on one and the training vid on the other. very nice - e-mail um a request to get yours!

-t

[Reasonable Rascal]

I received the CD set today, having requested it only a few days ago. I must say I am impressed as far as I have been able to view it. It is a 2-CD set, one comprised of some 1,200 pages that constitute the course along with a serious MSDS sheet reference library, and the other which is the video files.

Sorry to say I cannot comment on the videos yet as WinAmp seems to have a mind of its own.

RR