Establishment of Training for Effective Decontamination of Positive-Pressure Protective Suits by Chemical Shower

Safety procedures for entering and exiting suit-type Biosafety level 4 (BSL-4) laboratories are essential to minimize the risk of exposure to high-risk pathogens and prevent their release outside the facility. Exiting a BSL-4 laboratory particularly requires complete decontamination of the positive-pressure protective suit. A critical challenge in maintaining BSL-4 safety operations is effectively training personnel in proper decontamination techniques using chemical showers. In this study, we introduce a training method that evaluates decontamination efficacy using a colored cream as a visualized pseudo-contaminant. The colored cream successfully visualized the physical removal process achieved by the chemical shower, thereby enhancing the efficacy of decontamination training.