Ers Unprepared to Handle Hazardous Material Accidents

["Sandy Perle" <sandyfl@earthlink.net>]

Tuesday July 25 12:34 PM ET
Ers Unprepared to Handle Hazardous Material Accidents 
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - US emergency departments are largely ill-
prepared to handle victims of hazardous materials accidents, 
according to results of a study of more than 150 trauma centers. 
Although emergency departments get an average of 15 cases a year of 
patients who have come into contact with hazardous materials, many of 
the hospitals studied lacked the equipment, planning, and training to 
properly treat patients and keep others safe from contamination. 
Hazardous materials included any products that are flammable, 
corrosive, toxic or radioactive. The study looked at Level 1 trauma 
centers, which boast the ``nation's presumably most advanced'' 
emergency departments, according to the report. 
Dr. Ronald G. Pirrallo and his colleagues at the Medical College of 
Wisconsin in Milwaukee report their findings in the July issue of the 
Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 
The investigators found that only 6% of the trauma centers had all of 
the equipment necessary for decontaminating patients exposed to 
hazardous materials--such as special showers and disposable 
stethoscopes and blood pressure cuffs. Less than one-third had 
response plans that fully complied with federal regulations, and just 
36% of emergency department staff members had hazardous materials 
training. 
Some previous research has suggested trauma centers are often 
unprepared for contaminated patients, Pirrallo's team notes. ``To 
date,'' the researchers write, ``hospitals seem to have done 
comparatively little to improve their preparation for treating hazmat-
contaminated patients.'' 
Many of these advanced hospitals seem, however, to be ''poorly 
prepared to handle either large or small'' hazardous materials 
incidents, Pirrallo and his colleagues conclude. They note that the 
US Department of Defense, faced with potential terrorist threats, is 
currently educating emergency personnel in dealing with hazardous 
materials cases. 
SOURCE: Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 
2000;42:683- 


------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sandy Perle					Tel:(714) 545-0100 / (800) 548-5100   				    	
Director, Technical				Extension 2306 				     	
ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Division		Fax:(714) 668-3149 	                   		    
ICN Biomedicals, Inc.				E-Mail: sandyfl@earthlink.net 				                           
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Costa Mesa, CA 92626                                      

Personal Website:  http://www.geocities.com/capecanaveral/1205
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