Military Hygiene and Hygiene in Emergency Situations - K.O. Pashka 2005

Fundamentals of organizing sanitary and hygienic measures in ground forces during peacetime emergencies and wartime. Hygiene of field quartering of troops and the population.
Sanitary and hygienic control over the maintenance of the deployment area of troops (population) in field conditions

Field cleanup of troop deployment areas must be carried out on a daily basis. It is organized by the commander of the unit or subunit (cAMP commander) responsible for the given area, who assigns a detail equipped with the necessary means for this task.

Supervision over the quality of cleanup in troop (civilian) field deployment sites is entrusted to the formation's medical officer (feldsher). Direct sanitary oversight of daily compliance with hygiene requirements within subunits, as well as the Structure/175.html">Implementation of disinfection measures in contamination zones, is the responsibility of company sanitary instructors.

In the field, the simplest and most widespread method for neutralizing human waste and refuse is burial in the ground. Provided that Sanitary and hygienic requirements for selecting the burial site and soil load limits are observed, this method is both effective and entirely acceptable.

Biological and physicochemical processes occurring in the soil determine its capacity to mineralize organic matter and neutralize refuse; these processes are most active in the topsoil layers down to a depth of up to 1 m. The mineralization of garbage and refuse proceeds most rapidly in dry, loose soils (sandy loam, loam, chernozem) in areas with a low groundwater table. Soil aeration—achieved by loosening or plowing—enhances its sorption capacity and significantly accelerates the mineralization of waste and refuse.

Covering waste, garbage, and refuse with a layer of earth prevents access to them, thereby inhibiting the breeding of flies and rodents.

For the collection and disinfection of urine and other liquid waste in the field, ravines, ditches, gullies, or filtration beds are best utilized, where liquid evaporation and soil filtration take place.

Filtration beds should be located on sites with a slight slope, downstream from Water intake facilities and at least 500 m away from the boundary of the residential zone. If shelterbelts are present, this distance may be reduced to 250 m, and for small filtration beds of no more than 0.5 ha in area, down to 150 m. Their required area depends on the volume of wastewater to be disinfected and the soil characteristics. The daily load reaches 100-150 m³ per 1 ha for sandy soil, and 50-70 m³ for loamy soil.

A protective embankment should be built around the filtration bed. The bed is divided into sections (summer and winter). Wastewater should be discharged onto a section that has been thoroughly plowed or loosened.

Dirty wastewater (from kitchens, bathhouses, laundries, infectious hospitals, and wards) must be pre-disinfected with bleaching powder (40 mg of active chlorine per 1 liter of liquid with a one-hour exposure time) before being discharged onto the soil surface.

In hospitals, infirmaries, and medical posts, In addition to latrines, it is advisable to collect and disinfect the contents of bedpans. The pit for collecting infected waste must be tightly sealed to keep the contents inaccessible to flies. Its walls must be thoroughly tamped and reinforced.

Incineration is a radical method for waste disposal. It is strictly forbidden to incinerate waste contaminated with radioactive substances. A simple incinerator (destructor) for burning garbage can be constructed from sod in the shape of a truncated cone. The sod is laid on brick or stone Supports, leaving gaps for air intake. Two grate bars are installed inside the furnace. The furnace height is 1.2-1.5 m, and the internal diameter at the level of the lower grate is 1.0-1.1 m. The furnace is loaded with garbage to the top and ignited.

Before a military unit vacates a temporary deployment site, the area must be restored to proper order by its own personnel and means. Field trenches, latrines, and soakage pits are backfilled with earth and tamped down. Dry garbage and other refuse are burned, situation permitting. The locations of field trenches, soakage pits, latrines, and similar facilities are marked with special signposts.