When providing emergency medical care to victims of a hazardous materials incident

• A. All contaminated clothing, jewelry, eyeglasses, and shoes should be immediately discarded.
• B. The patient should be removed from the contaminated area at which time basic care and decontamination can begin.
• C. The majority of care should be performed prior to moving patient from the contaminated area.
• D. Under ideal circumstances, the patients should not be decontaminated until they are at the hospital.

Answer: (B)

In hazardous materials incidents, the priority is getting the patient to safety and starting decontamination as soon as possible while providing basic medical care. The best approach is to remove the patient from the contaminated area, and then begin basic care in a safer zone while decontamination can be started. This protects both the patient and responders by reducing exposure and preventing the spread of contamination, and it allows life-saving care to proceed without delay in an unsafe location. Once in a cleaner area, you can assess and support airway, breathing, and circulation, and initiate decontamination so contaminants don’t continue to affect the patient or escalate exposure.

Disposing of all clothing, jewelry, eyeglasses, and shoes immediately isn’t always necessary or practical; many items can be decontaminated, and hasty removal can complicate care or cause unnecessary harm. Waiting to move the patient or to decontaminate only at the hospital would delay essential care and increase exposure risk.