Department of Defense

Treatment of Nuclear and Radiological Casualties: Fm 4-02.283 Department of Defense

This publication serves as a guide and a reference for trained members of the Armed Forces Medical Services and other medically qualified personnel on the recognition and treatment of nuclear and radiological casualties. Scope a. This publication. (1) Classifies and describes potential nuclear and radiological threats and hazards. (2) Describes the biological aspects of blast, thermal radiation, and ionizing radiation and its effects on organs and systems of the body. (3) Describes procedures for first aid, medical diagnosing, treating, and management of nuclear and radiological casualties. b. The material in this publication is applicable to both the nuclear battlefield and to other operations where a high- or low-level radiation hazard exists; this includes military support to United States (US) civilian agencies during weapons of mass destruction (WMD) consequence management operations. c. The treatment modalities contained in this manual are based upon those described in the most recent North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Handbook on the Medical Aspects of Nuclear, Biological and Chemical (NBC) Defensive Operations AMedP-6(C), Ratification Draft; the Medical Management of Radiological Casualties Handbook, First Edition, and the recently approved Treatment Briefs. d. The use of the term .level of care. in this publication is synonymous with .echelon of care. and .role of care.. The term .echelon of care. is the old NATO term. The term 'role of care' is the new NATO and American, British, Canadian, and Australian (ABCA) term.