Citation

Okumura T, Kondo H, Nagayama H, Makino T, Yoshioka T, Yamamoto Y. Prehosp. Disaster Med. 2007; 22(3): 233-236.

Affiliation

Narita NBC Counter-Terrorism Network, Narita, Chiba, Japan. xj2t-okmr@asahi-net.or.jp

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, Cambridge University Press)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

17894219

Abstract

The efficiency and speed with which first responders, paramedics, and emergency physicians respond to an event caused by the release of a chemical is an important concern in all modern cities worldwide. A system for the initial triage and decontamination of victims of a chemical release was developed using colored clothes pegs of the following seven colors: red, yellow, green, black, white, and blue. Red indicates the need for emergency care, yellow for semi-emergency care, green for non-emergency care, black for expectant, white for dry decontamination, and blue for wet decontamination. The system can be employed as one of the techniques directed at improving the efficiency of decontamination in countries where there is a risk of chemical releases. It is recommended that this system should be adopted internationally and used for both drills and actual events.

Language: en