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

Fundamentals of organizing and conducting sanitary surveillance and medical control over the nutrition of military personnel and the civilian population in field conditions
Ways and means of food contamination by radioactive and toxic substances, as well as infection by bacterial (biological) agents

Contamination of food products with radioactive substances (RS), toxic chemicals (TC), and biological agents (BA) in modern warfare may occur As a result of The Use of weapons of mass destruction or the destruction of facilities where they are manufactured or stored.

In peacetime, this may happen in the event of accidents: involving toxic chemical releases at chemical plants and warehouses storing highly toxic substances (HTS); radioactive releases at nuclear power plants and other facilities engaged in the extraction, transportation, Processing, and storage of radioactive isotopes; biological agent releases at relevant facilities, including laboratories experimenting with bacterial and other agents, as well as terrorist acts targeting these facilities.

Weapons of mass destruction (nuclear, chemical, biological) can be deployed in the form of munition payloads—missiles, shells, aerial bombs, mines, and landmines—as well as through aerial sprayers or containers filled with toxic chemicals or biological agents (Fig. 4.12).

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Fig. 4.12. Methods of biological agent delivery:

1 - missiles; 2 - aerial bombs; 3 - mines; 4 - artillery shells; 5 - airdropped packages (bags, boxes, containers); 6 - sabotage methods.

Contamination of food with radioactive substances typically occurs through:

- primary surface contamination by radioisotopes fallout from a radioactive cloud (highest degree of contamination);

- secondary surface contamination by radioactive dust carried by the wind and settling on products; packaging in containers contaminated with RS; transportation and spilling onto terrain contaminated with RS;

- penetration of radioactive isotopes into vegetation used for food production or as animal feed, meaning RS enter natural biological food chains, as observed, for example, in radioactively contaminated areas following the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant accident.

Food contamination with toxic chemicals is possible when they are used in the following states of matter: liquid droplets, aerosols, and vapors. Evidently, contamination by vapors and aerosols will predominate, as they are actively sorbed by Food Products and retained in them for prolonged periods—weeks and months.

Contamination with biological agents can occur due to pathogenic microorganisms and toxins getting onto food, as well as the infiltration of rodents, insects, and mites that carry infectious diseases dangerous to humans and animals. The extent of food contamination (infection) will depend on the storage method, transport conditions, and the type of food products.

It is advisable to store food in containers such as barrels and polyethylene bags, which are additionally placed in crates or burlap sacks to prevent damage; in metal foil, thermoses, refrigerators, or refrigerated trucks. Metal and Glass containers, as well as hermetically sealed thick polyethylene bags, provide reliable protection for canned goods and Other types of food, while wooden and plywood crates offer fairly good protection. Kraft paper bags protect food against RS, but they offer virtually no protection against liquid droplet toxic chemicals. Burlap provides practically no protection for the contents. Tarpaulin effectively prevents RS contamination, but its effectiveness against toxic chemicals is short-lived.

A specific feature of RS contamination is that radioactive substances usually settle only On the surface of the food products. Toxic chemicals penetrate to a depth of 2–5 cm, into hard fats and butter up to 10 cm, while open containers of vegetable oils become completely contaminated throughout their volume.