Medical manual of chemical warfare, 1943 / War Office.

Great Britain. War Office.

Date:: 1943

Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Medical manual of chemical warfare, 1943 / War Office. Source: Wellcome Collection.

17/100 (page 17)

BS (2) Preventive treatment for the skin. To save the skin from damage it is necessary (i) to remove any clothing contaminated by liquid or vapour * ; and (ii) to free the skin from contamina- - ting liquid. . Prompt local cleansing will suffice for a small localized liquid contamination of the bare hand, and a change of clothing is all that is necessary after exposure to a low concentration of the vapour. Each case will have to be considered on its merits. But, whatever the type or extent of the contamination, speed is the essence of ail preventive treatment. When the skin is hot as a result of exercise, and in hot or tropical countries, the need for prompt action is especially great. ; After exposure to vapour in the atmosphere, or after the outer clothing has been sprayed or come into contact with fluid, the most important measure is removal of clothes ; and in deciding how much clothing must be removed it should be borne in mind that a single drop of mustard gas on a garment can cause widespread vapour burns. As an additional precaution immediate washing of the skin with soap and water is recommended, though not essential. For contamination of the skin by liquid there is a choice of methods. The best to adopt is the one most readily available. (a) If the liquid is visible it should be removed by swabbing, e.g. with cotton-waste. (b) Otniment, anti-gas, should then be applied in small quantities to the affected areas and rubbed in vigorously for not less than half a minute. The ointment chemically neutralizes the mustard gas, and if it is applied within five minutes of contamination blisters should be prevented.’ It may also be useful later if there is still fluid on the skin; but where erythema has actually de- veloped it is useless and indeed harmful. Nor must it get into the eyes. The original ointment No. 1, made from ‘“‘ supertropical’’ bleaching powder and white vaseline (equal parts by weight), was irritant and is now obsolete. Ointment No. 2, composed of Chloramine-T in a vanishing-cream base, is also slightly irritant ; so it should not be used repeatedly on tender skin or under clothing, and any excess is best removed. Ointments No. 3 and 3A are non-irritant. Both No. 2 and No. 3 may be used protectively on the hands in lieu of gloves: they are rubbed in for half a minute, leaving a visible film, and swabbed off after work. Heat and dryness may cause deterioration of ointments, and they should be inspected frequently to make sure that they smell of chlorine when rubbed on the hand. 7 (c) Aqueous bleach paste may be used instead of ointment, and is preferable when large areas have to be covered. It can be painted on the skin with a | brush, but must be washed off one minute later. Like the ointments, it should not be used after erythema has developed, and it is dangerous to the eyes. The aqueous bleach paste consists of ‘‘ supertropical”’ bleaching powder mixed to a creamy consistency with water—roughly, one part of the powder to one or two parts of water by volume, and it retains its effectiveness in temperate climates for several weeks if it be stored in enamelled containers with well-fitting lids. Bleaching powder is ordinary chloride of lime, while supertropical bleach is ordinary bleaching powder stabilized by the addition of quick-lime and fulfilling certain conditions of stability and chlorine content. * Should a Thomas’s splint have to be applied special care will have to be taken not to restrict the circulation through the foot if it is necessary to remove the boot owing to its contamination by liquid mustard gas.