1. List the steps before, during, and after crossing areas contaminated by radiological fallout.
2. List the correct techniques for crossing areas contaminated by biological and/or chemical agents.
Your unit commander needs area surveys for detailed information on the size of a contaminated area. As a rule, radiological surveys allow you to record the intensity of the contamination.
Chemical contamination cannot be measured in intensity. Therefore, as a monitor/survey team member, it's your job to measure the contaminated area and find clean routes through it.
As a monitor/survey team conducting the mission, your unit needs to determine The general location of the contamination
If there was a nuclear, biological, or chemical attack What type of agent you can expect
How the agent was employed
Why do you think it's a good idea to know how the agent was delivered? Keep in mind variables such as wind speed, wind direction, and temperature gradient. You can determine how large the contaminated area is by knowing the type of munitions employed to deliver the chemical agent.
Since different weapons have different bursting radii, the size of the contaminated area depends on the size of the weapon.
1401. Crossing Radiologically Contaminated Areas
The greatest problem usually associated with radiological hazards is determining the Intensity of the hazard
Length of time that a team may be allowed to stay in the hazardous area If the radiation level is low enough, you can remain in place for a long time. Unlike some chemical agents, radiological hazards can't be seen, tasted, smelled, or felt. Detection with RADIAC instruments is the only way to monitor these hazards. Don't be fooled because
everything looks OK--it probably isn't! Before you and your team leave for your mission, you'll be given the equipment you need to survey radiation levels. You will be given a "turn-back"
dose rate, that, once reached, will tell you to exit the contaminated area and report to headquarters with your findings.
Table 1-1 shows the steps to follow before, during, and after crossing a contaminated area Table 1-1. Steps Before, During, and After Crossing a Contaminated Area
BEFORE DURING AFTER
Buddy up and brush each other off once your mission is
1402. Crossing Chemically and Biologically Contaminated Areas
In the last two lessons you learned how to recognize and react to an NBC attack. Now, you will see how to cross contaminated areas. You'll cover chemical and biological crossings together because Marines use similar protective measures for both. The agents and physiological effects are quite different, but crossing either type of contaminated area is quite similar with one exception. Can you think of that exception? If you said we have to exclude considering transmission by insect vectors, you're absolutely correct. The enemy has no control over where insect vectors are likely to travel.
Most chemical and biological agents are dispersed at ground level or are released from aircraft at low altitudes. As a rule, the enemy would like to affect an area approximately 2 meters or 6 feet high. Why? The average height of a Marine is less than 6 feet tall.
When biological and chemical agents are dropped from an aircraft, what does that tell you about the agents themselves? If something is heavier than air, it will fall to the ground. As a rule, when agents are heavier than air they stay low near the ground, seek out low places like fighting holes and follow terrain features such as creek beds and valleys. However, not all chemical and biological agents are heavier than air.
The way to avoid unnecessary exposure is to seek higher ground. As a monitor/survey team member, your mission is to find contamination; in most cases, this is easy to do. Also, having a basic understanding of how agents act is invaluable. For instance, chemical agents move in the direction of the wind. Chemical agents generally move at the same rate of speed as the wind and
follow ground contours of terrain. Such knowledge helps you assess the chemical threat and allows you to avoid areas of chemical concentration during your survey missions.
Let's take a look at this. How often have you been in the field, seen some CS (tear gas) thrown on a unit, and watched Marines run downwind from the gas? In these situations, you learn the hard way to move upwind, never downwind, of chemical contamination.
If you're in the field and high winds are present, how long do you think it will take to disperse the agent? You're right if you said not long at all. In fact, most chemical agents are used when wind speeds are low. Why? Low wind speeds keep the agents from dispersing too rapidly and losing their effectiveness.
Remember, most agents are heavier than air and follow terrain features. This also means that they can flow into and around obstacles such as buildings, trees, and your vehicle! Uneven terrain only disperses the contaminant; it does not eliminate the chemical threat to you and your team (fig 1-7).
Fig 1-7. Agents flowing around obstacles.
Crossing a chemically or biologically contaminated area is much the same as crossing one that is radiologically contaminated. Of course, you should limit exposure and move as quickly as possible through the contaminated area. Remember that your MOPP gear will be hot and will slow your efforts to complete your mission. Additional precautions to take when crossing a contaminated area are listed below:
Follow established routes, preferably the shortest and fastest your mission will allow.
Deviating from assigned routes could keep medivac or extraction personnel from finding you in an emergency.
Ensure detection equipment functions properly and that your biological sampling kit (BSK) is properly stocked.
Don necessary protective equipment to prevent contamination.
Attach M8 and M9 tape to exterior of overgarments.
Move upwind of contamination.
Avoid gullies, trenches, ravines, cellars, and other low-lying areas where agents may collect.
Avoid contaminated vegetation, suspicious liquids, and pools of water; they can break down your overgarment and spread contamination. Heavy vegetation collects contamination and presents more of a hazard than open, bare terrain.
Avoid unnecessary contact with contaminated surfaces. Avoid kicking up dust; some agents are dispersed as powders.
Buddy up and remove any dust and report discoloration of M8 or M9 tape.
Remember to use common sense whenever you cross a contaminated area! Be proficient with your detection/sampling equipment to limit your exposure to the contaminated area. Record and report your findings. The more time you spend in a contaminated area, the greater your risk of becoming contaminated.
Lesson Summary: In this lesson you learned the correct techniques for crossing areas
contaminated by radiological, biological and chemical agents. In the next lesson you will learn about the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) NBC markers and how to use them to mark contaminated areas.
Lesson 4 Exercise: Complete items 1 and 2 by performing the actions required. Check your responses against those listed at the end of this lesson.
1. What steps do you take before, during, and after crossing an area contaminated by fallout?
BEFORE
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
DURING
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
AFTER
_________________________________________________________
2. What precautions must you take when crossing chemically and biologically contaminated areas?
a. _________________________________________________________
b. _________________________________________________________
c. _________________________________________________________
d. _________________________________________________________
e. _________________________________________________________
f. _________________________________________________________
g. _________________________________________________________
h. _________________________________________________________
i. _________________________________________________________
Lesson 4 Exercise Solutions
Reference
1. BEFORE
Ensure all RADIC instruments function properly 1401 Sandbag the vehicle to increase shielding
Close windows and hatches DURING
Use the shortest possible route Cross the area as quickly as possible Avoid contact with suspected surfaces AFTER
Buddy up to remove dust particles
2. a. Follow shortest allowable established route 1402 b. Ensure detection equipment functions properly
and BSK is stocked c. Don protective gear
d. Attach M8 and M9 to exterior of overgarment e. Move upwind of contamination
f. Avoid low-lying areas where agents settle g. Avoid heavy vegetation and suspicious liquids
h. Avoid unnecessary contact with contaminated surfaces and kicking up dust
i. Buddy up to remove dust
Lesson 5. MARKING CONTAMINATED AREAS