Chapter 4- PREVENTIVE AND CORRECTIVE DAMAGE CONTROL 



and surveying are done for the purposes of 

 locating the hazards, isolating the contaminated 

 areas, recording the results of the survey, and 

 reporting the findings through the appropriate 

 chain of command. 



Specifically, the purpose of a radiological 

 monitoring survey is to determine the location, 

 type, and intensity of radiological contamination. 

 The type of monitoring survey made at any 

 given time depends on the radiological situation 

 and on the tactical situation. Gross or rapid 

 surveys are made as soon as possible after a 

 nuclear weapon has been exploded, to get a 

 general idea of the extent of contamination. 

 Detailed surveys are made later, to obtain a 

 more complete picture of the radiological situ- 

 ation. 



Aboard ship, two main types of radiological 

 surveys would be required after a nuclear 

 attack. Ship surveys (first gross, then detailed) 

 include surveys of all weather decks, interior 

 spaces, machinery, circulating systems, equip- 

 ment, and so forth. Personnel safety surveys 

 (usually detailed) are concerned with protecting 

 personnel from skin contamination and internal 

 contamination. Personnel safety surveys in- 

 clude the monitoring of skin, clothing, food, and 

 water, and the measurement of concentrations of 

 radioactive material in the air (aerosols). Both 

 ship surveys and personnel safety surveys are 

 made aboard ship by members of the damage 

 control organization. The medical department 

 makes clinical tests, maintains dosage records, 

 and makes specific recommendations concern- 

 ing the monitoring of food, water, air, etc.; but 

 the actual surveys are made by damage control 

 personnel of the engineering department. 



Detailed instructions for making monitoring 

 surveys cannot be specified for all situations. 

 since a great many factors (type ship, distance 

 from blast, extent of damage, tactical situa- 

 tion, etc.) must necessarily be considered be- 

 fore monitoring procedures can be decided upon. 

 However, certain basic guidelines that apply to 

 monitoring situations may be stated as follows: 



monitoring operations must be given adequate 

 instruction and training in the use of the avail- 

 able radiacs. 



2. Standard measuring techniques must be 

 used. A measurement of radiation is meaning- 

 less unless the distance between the source of 

 radiation and the point of measurement is known. 

 For example, a radiac held 2 feet away from a 

 source of radiation will indicate only one-fourth 

 as much radiation as the same instrument 

 would indicate if it were held 1 foot away from 

 the same source, A radiac held 3 feet from the 

 source will indicate only one-ninth as much 

 radiation as when it is held 1 foot from the 

 source. As may be seen, therefore, the distance 

 between the source of radiation and the radiac 

 must be known before the radiac reading can 

 have any significance. 



3. All necessary information must be re- 

 corded and reported. The information obtained 

 by monitoring parties is forwarded to damage 

 control central, where the measurements are 

 plotted according to location and time. In order 

 to develop an accurate overall picture of the 

 radiological condition of the ship, damage con- 

 trol central must have precise and complete 

 information from all monitoring parties. Each 

 monitoring party must record and report the 

 object or area monitored, the location of the 

 object or area in relation to some fixed point, 

 the intensity and type of radiation, the distance 

 between the radiac and the source of radiation, 

 the time and date of the measurements, the name 

 of the man in charge of the monitoring party 

 (or other identification of the party), and the 

 type and serial number of the instrument used. 



CONTAMINATION MARKERS 



A standard system for marking areas con- 

 taminated by nuclear, biological, or chemical 

 contamination has been adopted by nations in- 

 cluded in the North Atlantic Treaty Organiza- 

 tion. These standard survey markers are illus- 

 trated in figure 4-8. 



1 . Monitors must be thoroughly trained be- 

 fore the need for monitoring arises. Learning to 

 operate radiacs takes time. Simulated practice- 

 as, for example, walking through a drill using 

 a block of wood to represent a radiac— may teach 

 a man something about the general movements 

 made by a monitoring team, but it will not 

 prepare him for actually using the instruments. 

 All personnel who may be required to perform 



NBC DECONTAMINATION 



The basic purpose of decontamination is to 

 minimize NBC contamination through removal 

 or neutralization so that the mission of the ship 

 or activity can be carried out without endanger- 

 ing the life or health of assigned personnel. The 

 purpose of radiological decontamination is to 

 remove contamination and shield personnel who 



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