RE: Ers Unprepared to Handle Hazardous Material Accidents

["Herbst, Michael" <mherbst@facilities.buffalo.edu>]

Available all dates and times

		-----Original Message-----
		From:	Sandy Perle [mailto:sandyfl@earthlink.net]
		Sent:	Tuesday, July 25, 2000 7:42 PM
		To:	Multiple recipients of list
		Subject:	Ers Unprepared to Handle Hazardous Material
Accidents

		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 				                           
		ICN Plaza, 3300 Hyland Avenue  		E-Mail:
sperle@icnpharm.com          	          
		Costa Mesa, CA 92626                                      

		Personal Website:
http://www.geocities.com/capecanaveral/1205
		ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Website: http://www.dosimetry.com

	
************************************************************************
		The RADSAFE Frequently Asked Questions list, archives and
subscription
		information can be accessed at
http://www.ehs.uiuc.edu/~rad/radsafe.html
************************************************************************
The RADSAFE Frequently Asked Questions list, archives and subscription
information can be accessed at http://www.ehs.uiuc.edu/~rad/radsafe.html