"HAZMAT or NBC - what’s the difference?" Topic

My PA team are about to enter a very tricky area. It was devastated by a massive "incident" several years ago when the science got out of hand on a top, ultra, hyper-secret government experiment. Unfortunately, all those involved in the science were killed in the initial stages of the incident and it was so secret that no-one else knows what the dangers are of entering the affected area.

So, to have the best chance of surviving in this dangerous area, which would be the better – HAZMAT or NBC. And what is the difference anyway?

DBDD

In my experience, people in Hazmat gear always have SCBA, so they are carrying around their own air supply, as opposed to breathing whatever is there through a mask filter. Post-apoc, there probably aren't a lot of air compressors running that can fill SCBA tanks, but it's your world (what's left of it…)

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NBC_suit

link

Hazmat suits arent usually protected against radiation.

What Martin said. HAZMAT is good for many things, except any kind of radiation.

NBC usually equals Level A in HAZMAT (i.e., fully encapsulated suits with supplied air (SCBA). I've never been convinced that those suits protect from direct radiation. And decon after use isn't much fun either.

Lower levels of HAZMAT (B and/or C) protect the lungs and surficial contamination exposure (which ain't all bad).

But if you don't have supplied air, then you must have the right filters for the hazard in the air (particulate or chemical). If you don't have the right filter, then you may as well go without.

Hazmat suits can't protect against Gamma, but they can protect against Alpha and Beta, assuming that they are rated for such work.

Having been on a HAZMAT team.
And worked in radiation safety.

jdintex is closest so far.

First off, no suit can protect against Gamma or Neutron radiation. You need a lot of mass for these.
The main protection from "rad" is radioactive contamination protections, especially inhaling rad. HEPA filters are standard.

HAZMAT comes is levels, but respiratory is the key. The big plastic bubble suits contain SCBA are Level A. These last about 30 minutes. There are some liquefied O2 re-breather systems that may last longer, but not commonly used. Also Fire Fighters use the same SCBA as HAZMAT.

The rest is filtered air. Powered filters put much less strain on the user. Almost all mask type filters are HEPA and then some have chemical cartridges. But you need to know what class of chemical in advance. The more you protect from the more difficult it is to draw a breath through. All clog in time. If you are active, 8 hours is a long lifespan for a filter. In HAZMAT this is Level B, and all the NBC suits I have seen are also just filter masks. Without a visor is a "half-mask" is often called Level C.

Now lets move to skin contact. Level A and NBC are equal in protecting against: Chem vapor, BIO agents, contact with chemicals, and all radiations. The ones I have examined (some 20 years ago) use the same outside layer. However, typical HAZMAT level A is really just one layer, while very tough, if punctured, only the air escaping keeps stuff out. Expected life in use is a few hours, assuming you have a clean zone to swap out the SCBA tanks. The NBC I had is multi layers, with things like activated carbon in between layers. I assume the idea is these suits are long duration, days. They are not airtight like Level A, but a rip or puncture still allows it to be resistant to agents. But clearly will degrade with use.

To sum up HAZMAT level A is like 99% for 1/2 hour.
NBC is like 90% for a few days.

Really interesting answers everyone – thanks for your input; apart from the help towards my game you've also taught me stuff.

For the game, I think I'll go NBC which is handy because I've already got suitable figures.

Appreciated 👍

DBDD