Handbook of Chemical and Biological Warfare Agent Decontamination

Chemical and biological warfare agents are threats to the military and civilians alike in both terrorist and conventional warfare scenarios. When materials become contaminated with these agents, they must be decontaminated before they can be removed or reused. This book is a comprehensive overview of the scientific research and development that has been done in chemical and biological agent decontamination technology in the US military. It begins with a section on the background of decontamination, which includes a chronological history of military research, an overview of the US Department of Defense decontamination principles and requirements and a chapter that acts as a primer on chemical and biological warfare agents. The main section on decontamination science covers different types of decontaminants and their applications. Finally, the development of future decontamination systems is discussed.