Oct 14, 2008
Sixty percent understood the laboratory’s roles and responsibilities in an external hazardous chemical exposure emergency situation, but less than half indicated their laboratory could effectively respond.
Only one-third responded that their laboratory had adequate resources in the clinical pathology area, and less than one-fourth had adequate resources in the anatomic pathology areas to recover and ship a high volume of tissues and/or body fluid samples in a hazardous chemical emergency.
Only 35 percent of the laboratories had a written protocol for collection of specimens from patients suspected of exposure to chemical agents.
Only half the respondents were familiar with various categories of chemical warfare agents and the medical consequences of exposure to them.
Only 20 percent were familiar with patient laboratory test results correlating with exposure to chemical warfare agents and had quick chemical warfare reference guides available in the laboratory.
http://www.medlaw.com/healthlaw/Emergency_Preparedness/15_2/laboratories-unprepared-f.shtml
Laboratories Unprepared For Bio-chem Incident
A study by the American Society of Clinical Pathology has revealed that the labs that would be critical to spotting bio-chem terrorism would not be able to fulfill that role in a real incident.
A study by the American Society of Clinical Pathology has revealed that the labs that would be critical to spotting bio-chem terrorism would not be able to fulfill that role in a real incident. Among their findings:
In response, the ASCP has announced a major online training effort for labs.
http://www.ascp.org/AboutUs/NewsRoom/NewsArticle.aspx?PrimaryCode=CHEM
Copyright 1995-2008. Stephen A. Frew JD. All rights to contents and code reserved.
