1.1 This specification is used to standardize the personnel decontamination systems used by the Homeland Defense Community to ensure the system characteristics are matched to the Homeland Defense Community needs. These personnel decontamination systems are not intended to be used for the decontamination for any other surface or material.

1.2 Also, these personnel decontamination systems are intended to be portable and easy to use by the Homeland Defense Community during a chemical event.

1.3 This specification is based on those issues associated with a chemical event only. It is recognized that personnel decontamination associated with a radiological or a biological event, or both, will be similar, those events have not been considered and issues that may differ with respect to chemical decontamination are outside the scope of this standard specification.

1.4 Personnel processed through decontamination systems certified under this standard may still require medical treatment because of the chemical exposure.

1.5 The amount of processing that personnel will be required to undergo while being decontaminated will be specified by the manufacturer's operating instructions.

1.6 Within the U.S. Homeland Defense Community, the familiarity and use of English units currently prevails. Equipment manufactured under this standard for use in the United States should consider English units for control panels, connections, system interfaces, etc. For this standard specification, the English units are provided as standard with the equivalent SI units in paraentheses.

1.7 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.