Preparing for a chemical incident.

vol 10 no 10 march 2003 emergency nurse 23 Since the terrorist attack on the US on September 11 2001 and the increasing prevalence of global terrorist activity including threats to the UK, attention has focused on the threat of chemical and biological warfare. Before the attack, bioterrorism had occupied only a small part of the UK public consciousness and threats to civilians from hazardous materials primarily had come from industrial events. Chemical incidents are unforeseen events leading to the acute exposure of individuals to any non-radioactive substance and resulting in illness or a potentially toxic threat to health (Schonfield et al 1995). NATO defines bioterrorism as a chemical substance that is intended for use in military operations to kill, seriously injure or incapacitate people because of the physiological effects (NATO 1996). This article provides guidance on how to prepare A&E departments for a potentially serious chemical incident.