Chemical & Biological Warfare Agents

EMERGENCY ACTION FOR CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL WARFARE AGENTS
by Hank Ellison

“A HazMat team evacuates five square miles of a city business district in
response to a chemical spill. Ten city blocks away, a police special response
team forms a
perimeter around an office building where a terrorist threatens the release of a
deadly
chemical agent. Meanwhile, paramedics administer first aid to victims exposed to
a possible
vesicant.

“In the real-life world of emergency response, nothing is more crucial to
crisis
personnel than quick and decisive action. D. Hank Ellison's Emergency Action for
Chemical
and Biological Warfare Agents tells police, paramedics, and firefighters just what
actions to
take in the event of a crisis involving hazardous materials. The book contains
abridged
versions of the class indices from Ellison's larger Handbook of Chemical and
Biological
Warfare Agents. The indices deal with classes of agents (nerve, blister, etc.)
instead of
focusing on specific agents. Each index contains information on the
toxicology/health
impacts, physical characteristics, hazards from fire or reactivity, protection of
personnel, and
general first aid for that agent class.

“Designed to provide rapid access to critical emergency information at the
scene
of a release of chemical or biological warfare agents, this handy field guide is also
ideal for
facilitating the coordination with off-site personnel who have access to more
comprehensive
information in Ellison's larger Handbook. It differs from its larger companion,
however, in that
agent specific data, as well as information on evacuation distances, are listed in
table
format,
making it the ideal tool for emergency responders deployed in the field.

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- Features abridged versions of the class indices from the Handbook of
Chemical
and Biological Warfare Agents
- Includes information on the toxicology/health impacts, physical
characteristics,
hazards from fire or reactivity, protection of personnel, and general first aid for each
agent
class.
- Provides rapid access to critical emergency information at the scene of a
release
of chemical or biological warfare agents

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BOOK REVIEW

“This book is designed as a quick reference for information on “lesser
known”
hazardous materials including military chemical and biological agents.
Information is
categorized by class rather than specific agent and information on toxicology,
characteristics
including environmental fate and additional hazards such as chance of fire or
explosion,
protection including evacuation distances and personal protection,
decontamination and first
aid procedures, is detailed for each class of agent. Over 100 materials are
categorized into
29 different classes for easy and quick referencing. It is suggested this reference
could be
used on site to coordinate response with off-site personnel who could have more
comprehensive information on the likely agents. Tables include evacuation
distances and
agent detector characteristics.
“While not for everyone, this is a good reference book for hazardous
materials
teams, military groups, and those already familiar with hazardous response. It is
also a good
resource for departments working in conjunction with military as well as civilian
populations
or
departments.”
- Canadian Journal of Emergency Management.

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CONTENTS
Introduction
How To Use This Book
Common Military Agents
Class Indices
Unknown Agents(s)
G-series Nerve Agents
V-series Nerve Agents
GV-series Nerve Agents
Novichok Series Nerve Agents
Binary Nerve Agents
Carbamate Nerve Agents
Sulfur Mustard Agents
Arsenical Mustard Agents
Nitrogen Mustard Agents
Mixed Sulfur/Arsenical Mustard Agents
Urticants Agents
General Blood Agents
Arsenical Blood Agents
Choking Agents
Metal Fume Choking Agents
Incapacitating Agents
Halogenated Tear Agents
Non-halogenated Tear Agents
Tear Agents In Solvents
Vomiting Agents
Corrosive Smokes
General Toxins
Toxins Posing A Dermal Hazard
Pathogens
Pathogens Carried By Vectors
Pathogens Ingested
Anti-animal Pathogens
Anti-plant Pathogens
Pathogens Used As Simulants
Tables
Chemical and Biological Agent Detectors
Initial Isolation and Protective Action Distances
Sample Collection

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AUDIENCE
Firefighters, Hazardous Materials (MazMat) teams, EMS Personnel, Police
Special
Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) teams, Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD)
teams.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
“D. Hank Ellison, C.H.M.M., has served active duty in the United States
Army
as
both an enlisted infantry soldier and a commissioned officer in the Chemical Corps.
At the
time of his service, Mr. Ellison was one of a very limited number of Airborne Ranger
Chemical Officers in the Army. Serving as a Chemical Officer with both an infantry
battalion
and artillery battalion in the 101st Airborne Division, Mr. Ellison was responsible for
managing training in all aspects of nuclear, biological, and chemical defense. Mr.
Ellison was
also an instructor on the construction and deployment of improvised flame
munitions.

“Mr. Ellison was employed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
as
both a
Remedial Project Manager and Federal On-Scene Coordinator. As a Remedial
Project
Manager in the Superfund Program, he managed the investigation and remediation
of
various hazardous waste sites. As an On-Scene Coordinator, he has responded to
and
managed numerous types of hazardous material emergencies throughout the
Midwest. Mr.
Ellison received numerous awards while employed at the EPA including a Bronze
Medal for
Commendable Service, and he was named the 1994 Region 5 On-Scene
Coordinator of the
Year.

“As a private consultant, Mr. Ellison has responded to both transportation
and
fixed facility hazardous material incidents throughout the state of Michigan. He has
acted as
incident commander, safety officer, and response specialist at scenes involving
chemical
fires, water reactive materials and shock sensitive materials. He has provided
chemical and
biological counterterrorism training to members of hazardous materials (HazMat)
teams,
police Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) teams and Explosive Ordinance
Disposal
(EOD) teams. He is president of Cerberus & Associates, Inc. which provides
specialized
training and consulting services in chemical, nuclear, and biological agent
awareness,
counterterrorism security, coordination of incident response and technical
information
resources.

“Mr. Ellison has a master of science degree in chemistry from the
University of
California, Irvine. His graduate research involved methods to synthesize poisons
extracted
from Colombian poison-dart frogs. He has a bachelor of science in chemistry from
the
Georgia Institute of Technology. Mr. Ellison has received specialized training from
the U.S.
Drug Enforcement Administration in operations involving clandestine drug
laboratories. He is
a graduate of the Radiation Safety course taught at Northwestern University. Mr.
Ellison is a
Certified Hazardous Materials Manager at the Master's Level. He is a member of
the
American Chemical Society and Federation of American Scientists. He is also a
member of
the Michigan Workgroup on Counterterrorism and a founding member of the
Wayne County
Emergency Management Division Technical Assistance Team for Weapons of
Mass
Destruction.”

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1999, 141 pages. Order #DR442.
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Brookfield, CT 06804-3104 USA

1-888-ROTHSTEin; (888.768.4783)

Telephone: 203.740.7444; 888.768.4783

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