3. Acceptable levels of chemical decontamination

Decontamination of people, work surfaces, equipment, etc. must be undertaken down to levels deemed acceptable for human health. These levels must therefore be defined numerically. Cases where "acceptable" thresholds are set for industrial/chemical toxins, based on criteria such as equipment sensitivity or ecosystem protection, are not covered. Transforming the expectations of stakeholders in terms of human health into one or more figures, ideally measurable, makes it possible to set ideas, give thresholds and, for example, ensure compliance or otherwise with the requirements set. Without idealizing the precision of these figures, they are indispensable tools in any chemical risk assessment and management process, for warfare/industrial toxics as for other toxic substances.

Let's highlight a few fundamental characteristics of these "acceptable" thresholds for decontamination,...