Uploaded August 2017 | Updated September 2026, 15 hours ago
This is clipped from the 1979 US Department of Defense training film, Complete Personnel Decontamination, which presents the step-by-step procedures for decontamination after a squad survives a chemical nerve agent attack. It shows the makeup and functions of the decontamination station as well as how a soldier's combat gear, clothing, personal belongings and body are divested of any possible trace of the contaminant. Decontamination is the process of removing or neutralizing chemical or biological agents so that they no longer pose a hazard. For military purposes, decontamination is undertaken to restore the combat effectiveness of equipment and personnel as rapidly as possible. Chemical agents were first used extensively as military weapons during World War I. CB weapons programs continued to flourish during the 1950s and 1960s, led by scientists in the United States and the Soviet Union, and to a lesser extent, in other countries including Great Britain. New nerve agents were developed during those years, including the family of V agents, which are not only lethal in smaller ingested doses but can also be absorbed directly through the skin. Natural toxins and biological pathogens were also investigated as biological warfare agents. In the post-1950s era, improving the means of dissemination of lethal agents became a major research objective. Airborne spray tanks, specialized artillery shells, CB-capable missile warheads, and an assortment of other weapons were developed. The United States discontinued its offensive biological and chemical military research programs in 1969 and 1989, respectively, but continued to expand its defensive programs.
This is clipped from the 1979 US Department of Defense training film, Complete Personnel Decontamination, which presents the step-by-step procedures for decontamination after a squad survives a chemical nerve agent attack. It shows the makeup and functions of the decontamination station as well as how a soldier's combat gear, clothing, personal belongings and body are divested of any possible trace of the contaminant. Decontamination is the process of removing or neutralizing chemical or biological agents so that they no longer pose a hazard. For military purposes, decontamination is undertaken to restore the combat effectiveness of equipment and personnel as rapidly as possible. Chemical agents were first used extensively as military weapons during World War I. CB weapons programs continued to flourish during the 1950s and 1960s, led by scientists in the United States and the Soviet Union, and to a lesser extent, in other countries including Great Britain. New nerve agents were developed during those years, including the family of V agents, which are not only lethal in smaller ingested doses but can also be absorbed directly through the skin. Natural toxins and biological pathogens were also investigated as biological warfare agents. In the post-1950s era, improving the means of dissemination of lethal agents became a major research objective. Airborne spray tanks, specialized artillery shells, CB-capable missile warheads, and an assortment of other weapons were developed. The United States discontinued its offensive biological and chemical military research programs in 1969 and 1989, respectively, but continued to expand its defensive programs.
