Which decon category is designed to process large numbers of people rapidly?

• A. Mass
• B. Emergency
• C. Technical
• D. Routine

Answer: (A)

When the goal is to move many people through decontamination quickly, the approach used is mass decon. This category is built for high throughput, with streamlined steps and simple setup that allow large groups to be processed rapidly while still removing the most surface contamination. It emphasizes speed and capacity—clear lanes, minimal handling, and procedures such as quick clothing removal and rapid rinsing—to get people to a safe area without creating bottlenecks or delaying triage.

Emergency decon also aims to reduce exposure quickly, but it’s typically applied in the immediate moments after exposure and may not be organized for processing very large crowds as efficiently as mass decon. Technical decon, by contrast, is specialized and detailed, focusing on equipment and materials with procedures that can be slower and resource-intensive. Routine decon covers everyday cleaning and PPE cleanup, not the mass, incident-driven scenario described here.