5.
Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Contamination.
Generally, no food is prepared or served in an environment that is
contaminated by nuclear, biological, or chemical (NBC) agents.
You must
move field kitchens to uncontaminated areas and decontaminate the field
kitchens before you resume food service. It is important to remember that
striking and loading the field kitchen are more difficult and take longer
when troops are wearing chemical protective clothing.
In exceptional
situations, cooks may have to serve food in a contaminated environment. The
method of feeding troops in such an environment depends on the type and the
extent of the contamination and on the availability of collective protective
shelters.
a. Contaminated Area with no Detectable Vapor Hazard. Troops may be in
an area that is contaminated by chemical agents with no detectable vapor
hazard and where they are under the constant threat of NBC attack. Plan to
feed them on a rotating basis.
Feed about 25 percent of the troops at a
time. Ensure that the other 75 percent of the troops remain masked. Take
care at all times to avoid contaminating food.
b. Contaminated Area with a Detectable Vapor Hazard. If the troops are
in a contaminated area where there is also a vapor hazard, feed them inside
a shelter that is equipped with an overpressure system.
The overpressure
system fills the shelter with filtered pressurized air to remove NBC
contamination. The XM20 simplified collective protection equipment includes
a built-in overpressure system. Since this shelter has a limited capacity,
the commander and the FSS must plan to feed the troops in shifts.
c. Food Protection.
You must plan to protect food from NBC
contamination.
Consuming contaminated food may cause illness, injury, or
death.
Some food items may be decontaminated and consumed.
However,
decontamination is often a difficult and time-consuming process.
d. Nuclear Contamination. The two types of nuclear contamination are
induced radiation and fallout.
Food is contaminated by induced radiation
only if it is very close to a nuclear blast.
Foods may be contaminated
by fallout that is miles away from the blast site.
Even though you
cannot protect foods from induced radiation, it is relatively easy
to protect them from fallout.
As long as foods are packaged in cans
or other sealed containers, the foods are not in danger of contamination
by fallout.
You can protect foods that are not packaged this way
from fallout by putting them into sealed containers.
Examples of such
foods are fresh fruits and vegetables and fresh meats.
Insulated food
containers and refrigerators provide excellent protection from fallout.
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QM3511
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