NCJ Number
192768
Date Published
1990
Length
324 pages
Annotation
This research evaluates the various alternatives—evacuation, in-place shelter, and respiratory protection that could be undertaken during chemical agent emergencies. The research also examines these alternatives for a small set of scenarios to both “validate” the methods usefulness, and make some program recommendations concerning protective action strategies.
Abstract
The model developed by the authors examines the effect of the various protective actions on expected exposure under number of release and meteorological conditions. The model compares exposure without protection with the expected exposure given a specified emergency response system, and the capacity of the selected protective action to protect. The report analyzed a total of 1134 scenarios , 378 in-place sheltering, and 252 respiratory protection scenarios. The analysis focused on 14 classes of accidents, for a range of meteorological conditions, and for a series of download distances. These 126 accident scenarios were examined for emergency responses involving evacuation, in-place shelter, and respiratory protection. All the scenarios were analyzed assumed that the protective actions would be implemented in a state-of-the-art emergency response system. The findings show that if there is time to complete an evacuation prior to a plume’s impact, evacuation is the preferred alternative. In-place shelters are appropriate in circumstances where time to respond is limited. Pressurized shelters provide the most protection. Respiratory protection actions can be used to greatly reduce the exposure in an accident, but leakage around the filtration system continues to be a problem. Respiratory protection is considered appropriate when used with either evacuation or reduced infiltration in-place shelters. It is recommended that researchers continue to evaluate the effectiveness of various alternatives during a chemical emergency to determine the best protective action alternatives and to provide a baseline for emergency planning.