US3487916A - Method and means for removal of radioactive contaminants - Google Patents

Description

Jmm "5% wm METHOD AND MEANS Filed May 31, 1966 R. EViORCBNE ETAL.

FOR REMOVAL OF RADIOACTIVE CONTAMINANTS 3 Sheets-Sheet l Jain 3970 R. MORONi ETAL 3, 7n

METHOD AND MEANS FOR REMOVAL OF RADIOACTIVE CONTAMINANTS Filed May 51, 1966 5 Sheets-$heet 2 Fig.4

Jaw 170 R. MORON! ETAL 3, 7,

METHOD AND MEANS FOR REMOVAL OF RADIOACTIVE CONTAMINANTS Filed May 51, 1966 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 United States Patent 3,487,916 METHOD AND MEANS FOR REMOVAL O RADIQACTIVE CONTAMINANTS Rolf Moroni, Hersel, near Bonn, Friedrich Karl Rinck,

Niederbachem, and Peter Kisteneich, Spick uberTroisdorf, Germany, assignors to Collo-Rheincollodium, Cologne G.ln.lo.H., Werk Hersel, Hersel, near Bonn, Germany Continuation-impart of application Ser. No. 442,212, Mar. 23, 1965. This application May 31, 1966, Ser. No. 555,645

Int. Cl. B65d 79/00 U.S. Cl. 20647 19 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Means and methods for removing contaminants, especially those radioactive, particularly from human skin comprising a medium to hard at least superficially opencelled polyurethane or phenol resin foam, either as a granulate or a sponge body, with from 1% to 25% of foam-incorporated contaminant adsorbing and/or ion exchange absorbing substances. By rubbing the foam material on the skin, sharp tiny cell wall edges shave off and hold contaminated skin particles to be carried away with crumbling of the foam surface whereby simultaneously new sharp edges are presented.

In the pending United States patent application Ser. No. 442,212, of Rolf Moroni, filed Mar. 23, 1965, of which this is a continuation-in-part, for the removal of radioactive contaminants from human or animal skin or from objects there was proposed a foam material body, particularly of a polyurethane or phenol resin base. The removal of the radioactive contaminants therewith results through a scraping scrubbing action without the foam material body itself thereby taking up radioactive substances or itself becoming radioactive. This characteristic is attained in consequence of abrasion of parts of the foam body in the scrubbing and either trickling away or being flushed away with a cleaning liquid, for example, water.

In scientific work or after nuclear explosions, it may be necessary to repeat decontamination precedures at short intervals if a new radioactive contamination has occurred. It is therefore the object of the present further invention, still more rapidly to carry out the removal of radioactive contaminants, wherewith also further advantages are attained.

To attain this, according to the further invention, for the removal of radioactive or other contaminants from human or animal skin or from objects by a scrubbing with a selected medium-hard to hard foam material, in articular synthetic foam materials of a polyurethane or phenol resin base, it is proposed that adsorbent and/0r absorbant and/or ion exchange material be added to the foam.

The adsorbant and/ or absorbant materials further take up of the radioactive contaminants and, since they are carried by the foam material, are carried away together with the abraded particles of the foam, whereby the scrubbing can be carried out dry, but also with the aid of a liquid, for example, water.

The adsorbants and/or absorbants can be incorporated in the foam material from which an object is formed but also in a combination with a foam material granulate, especially of a synthetic foam, the use of which was proposed in the said patent application. Also the addition" of adsorbants and/or absorbants or of the hereinafter disclosed ion exchange materials to the synthetic foam granulate can be achieved in combination with the film formers disclosed in the aforementioned patent application.

As adsorbant and/or absorbant materials those substances come into application which possess a high capacity for taking up and/or also dissolving radioactive contaminants, in particular activated carbon, phthalocyanine dyestuffs, gels and clays such as athapulgite, illite, and the like, but also clays of the montmorillonite mineral group and in the latter group, bent'o-nite.

The adsorbant and/or absorbant materials are to be added to the foam material in a content of from 1% to 25 preferably 5% to 15%, by weight. Furthermore it is advantageous, inasmuch as the adsorbant and/or absorbant materials are granular, to add them in comparatively small grain size, thus in a grain size of about 5 microns (0.005 mm.) and larger.

In accordance with the further characteristic of the invention, to such foam material, especially synthetic, there are to be added ion exchanger materials, and indeed cation and/or anion exchangers, in which case also the addition of the ion exchangers, by a further feature of the invention, is to amount to a weight content of from 1% to 25%, advantageously 5% to 15%. The ion exchangers may be present in the foam alone on in combination with the absorbant or adsorbant substances.

In such cases the addition materials and/or ion exchangers can either be deposited in the bifurcations between the cells of the synthetic foam material, or rather be directly built into the molecular structure of the synthetic foam.

As cation exchangers there come into consideration: sodium ethylenediaminetetra-acetate or sodium tetrapolyphosphate or tripolyphosphoric acid and the like.

As macromolecular anion exchangers there are utilizable: condensation products of phenol-formaldehyde with coconut oil fatty acid diamines, or dyestuffs such as crystal violet or a carboxylic acid resin, for example, humicsulfoxy carboxylic acid, also a condensation product of phenol-formaldehyde and polyamines or a polystyrene derivative with aliphatic amino groups.

As mixed bed io-n exchangers, materials also can be prepared fro-m diols in mixture with substances such as sodium ethylenediaminetetraacetate or fatty alkyl diamines or fatty alkyl propylene diamines and diisocyanates of like substances.

The inclusion of the adsorbants and/ or absorbants and/ or ion exchangers, in accordance with a further characteristic of the invention, is carried out before or during the foaming of the foam material, particularly of synthetic foams.

In cases where the foam, and particularly synthetic material, is in granular form, the adsorbants and/or absorbants as well the ion exchangers, can be mixed into the foam granulate either singly or in combination.

In the case where a shaped body of foam material is used, the aforementioned materials, however, are introduced into the shaped body at the time of the foaming of the foam material and are uniformly dispersed therein.

A particularly advantageous composition of a synthetic foam body with the aforementioned materials is comprised as follows:

47 parts by weight of a polyester diol comprised of 3 mols of adipic acid, 3 mols of butylene glycol and 1 mol of glycerine,

10 parts by weight of sodium ethylenediaminetetraacetate,

43 arts by weight of toluene 2,6 diisocyanate 2-3 parts by weight of water,

0.5 part by weight of tin dioctoate,

0.9 part by weight of triethylenetetramine (Dabco).

In cases where it appears useful, additionally it is proposed to add to the synthetic foam material and the other aforementioned materials, bactericidal and/or mycocidal and/ or fungicidal substances.

In accordance with a further characteristic of the invention a foam material, prepared in accordance with this invention by the aforementioned procedures, has the spatial form such that the addition materials, i.e., adsorbants and/or absorbants and/or ion exchangers, are disposed in the hollow spaces between the inter-cell bifurcations of the foam material.

In the parent application, Ser. No. 442,212, it was further proposed that, for removal of radioactive contaminants, the skin be scrubbed off with a paste made up of a powder or granulate of a medium-hard to hard compounded synthetic foam, especially of a polyurethane or phenol resin or urea resin, perhaps with addition of small amounts of water. Thus the means based upon synthetic foam can have a paste form as well as a body form.

As is known, there are two different types of skin, namely a so-called smooth skin, which has no, or hardly any, visible Wrinkles, cracks, or scales, and a so-called rough skin which does possess these characteristics. Radioactive contaminants in a radioactive fall-out to a certain degree penetrate into the cracks or under the scales of the skin and are far more diflicult to remove therefrom than from smooth skin surfaces.

In the afore-described sense, smooth and uneven skin areas are present not only in different persons, but frequently also at different parts of the body of one person. Thus with many people, for example, the hands have many cracks and scales, While other parts of the body are smooth.

In order to free rough as well as smooth skin surfaces from radioactive contaminants with equally good results, as a device for removal of radioactive contaminants from human or animal skin by use of a porous body in accordance with the invention, it is proposed that a unitary porous body, in particular of a medium-hard to hard synthetic foam material, advantageously of a polyurethane base, be combined into a manipulatable or hand size unit with a reception space for a granulate or powder of medium-hard to hard synthetic foam material. Therewith in accordance with the invention it is possible with high assurance to treat as may be desired smooth as well as rough skin surfaces with immediately available porous bodies identical in their principal application but different in their spatial form.

The inventive proposal, to have at hand at the same time a decontamination means for the treatment of smooth as also rough skin surfaces, has a further advantage that also the removal of the radioactive contaminants can be optimally suited to the depth of penetration of the radioactive infection. Thus for an extremely smooth skin, in many cases advantageously a first removal of radioactive contaminants is undertaken by scrubbing ofi with the unitary porous body, whereby the radioactive contaminants are flushed away together with the material abraded the foam body, advantageously with the assistance of the flowing water. More deeply lying skin regions, particularly pores and cracks, finally are treated with the paste of the synthetic foam granulate or powder, because this is particularly suited for a penetrating action and makes deep places accessible. The paste then has at the same time the advantage that it, along with the other proposed addition materials, such as adsorbants and/or absorbants or ion exchangers in accordance with need, may contain a disinfectant or also healing and nutritive substances. As useful foams for the removal of radioactive contaminants, there may be further mentioned as set forth in the said pending application Ser, No. 442,212, foams having a polystyrene-, cellulose acetate-, polyvinyl chloride-, phenol resin-, polyethylene-, vinyl acetate-, buna-rubber-, or natural rubber basis.

. In such a hand unit, on the foam body advantageously In the form of a block, the storage space for the powder or g a ulate is disposed on the side of he lo oppo ite that used in treating skin, on which side additionally may be provided a reception space for a skin-crack or pore closing protective cream containing perhaps healing, nutritive, and disinfectant means.

Further in accordance with the invention, comparatively large open cells of a soft compounded synthetic foam material comprise the reception space for the synthetic foam granulate or powder in the form of a paste and/or for the skin protective cream; or also such space is formed by a flexible film provided with a perforation or a multiplicity of perforations.

In order to avoid drying out of the paste and/or the protective cream, and also to protect these from becoming dirty, the external cells of the soft synthetic foam or the perforations of the flexible foil may be covered by a suitably arranged tear-off foil.

So that the paste or a skin protective cream is unable to penetrate into the pores of the unitary porous block, at least when the latter is open celled, further an impermeable layer, particularly in the form of a foil, is disposed between the block and the reception space for the paste and/ or the skin protective cream. Also it is proposed that a container for a dry synthetic foam granulate or powder be combined with a container for several, especially individually removable, cloths or flat sponges, the latter particularly being of soft to medium-hard synthetic foam material, especially of polyurethane with or without incorporated adsorption or absorption or ion exchange substances.

In accordance with a further characteristic of the invention the porous block unit is fabricated with markedly rounded off edges.

The invention is represented by way of example in the drawings, but is not however, limited to these embodiments, but rather there are further modifications possible falling within the scope of the invention.

FIG. 1 shows ablo-ck or sponge of foam material in perspective;

FIG. 2 is a vertical section through a part of a block in accordance with FIG. 1 with addition materials disposed between the bifurcations of the cells;

FIG. 3 is a vertical section through a part of the foam block in accordance with FIG. 1 but having addition material built into the molecules;

FIG. 4 shows a device for removal of radioactive contaminants, in perspective;

FIG. 5 is a vertical section through a modification of a device in accordance with FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a vertical section through a further modificatlon;

FIG. 7 shows, in vertical section, a container for a dry granulate or powder of synthetic foam with a compartment for receiving several cloths;

FIG. 8 is a side view of a receptacle for paste or granulate of synthetic foam, combined with a unitary porous body; and

FIG. 9 is a top view of the device in FIG. 8.

In FIG. 1, the body or block of foam material, particularly of medium-hard to hard synthetic foam, is comprised of the cells 10 represented in an enlarged section in FIG. 2, which cells advantageously are closed. However, the cells located at the external surface of the foam body are cut off as at 11. In the hollow spaces between the cells 10, there are embedded the adsorbant and/or absorbant and/ or ion exchange material 12.

In FIG. 3, the adsorbant and/or absorbant and/or ion exchange substances are built into the foam material molecule, as symbolically represented by the lines 12 across the cell walls.

Through scrubbing use, the cells 10 successively are carried away or detached from the cell matrix or skeleton and upon separation these cells also take along therewith the radioactive contaminants. Through the successive carrying or breaking away of the individual cells 10, the material 12 is exposed, and also carried off with the e a aration of the individual cells after an antecedent pick up of the radioactive or other contaminants.

The disposition of the adsorbant and/or absorbant material and/ or ion exchanger in the interstices between the individual cells or built into the molecule has not only the result that these materials take up or attach radioactive or also any other sort of a contaminants, but also the effect that the presence of these materials to a certain degree loosens the cell adhesion, and accordingly favors the breaking away of the individual cells from the combination in a manner advantageous for the present purposes, because with the separation of individual cells from the combination, the contaminants are carried away and therefore are unable to attach themselves firmly inside of the synthetic foam material, an occurrence which could lead to a radioactive infection of the block which above all is to be avoided.

The proposal to utilize a medium-hard to hard synthetic foam material, particularly in a block shape, and advantageously of a polyurethane or phenol resin base in combination with adsorbant and/or absorbant and/ or ion exchange materials, is particularly advantageous for the removal of radioactive contaminants. It has appeared that the mixture of synthetic foam material and the aforementioned substances also produces an advantageous action in removing other skin contaminants, because also therewith the cleaning process is accelerated. Also by way of example, the action as a horny skin scrubber is improved.

In FIG. 4, the device for removal of radioactive contaminants is comprised of a cube-like slab or block 13 of a medium-hard to hard synthetic foam material of polyurethane base. The edges which are directed toward the skin surface to be treated are markedly rounded off. The exteriorly occurring cells of the unitary body are cut, so that they form the sharp-edged walls 14 which through rubbing of the block upon the skin scrapes off the radioactive contaminants.

During the scraping or scrubbing the radioactive contaminants gather in the mass of abrasion debris of the porous body. Simultaneously with the scraping the cells crumble out of the group. With the helpful addition of water, the broken off cells or cell pieces with the radioactive contaminants are particularly easily flushed away. The side of the body 13, which is turned away from the skin surface to be treated, is covered with an impermeable foil 15. This is bonded in turn with a soft sponge 16 of a large celled open-celled synthetic foam material. In the interstices formed 'by the cells of the latter there is introduced a paste, comprised of a granulate or powder of medium-hard to hard synthetic foam, preferably also of polyurethane. Preferably therefore this is the same synthetic plastic material as that constituting the unitary porous body 13, but comminuted for the paste. Furthermore in addition to a liquid, especially water, the paste contains a cellulose swelling agent, preferably methyl cellulose with addition of a detergent substance, preferably Texapen; and moreover, preferably an ion exchange material in the form of bentonite or lewatite or the like.

Smooth skin surfaces preferably are treated by scrubbing with the unitary porous body 13. In the case of cracked or scaly or other diflicultly accessible skin surfaces, for example, between the fingers, the treatment is carried out with the paste of synthetic foam granulate or powder in the cells of the sponge 16. In consequence of the pressure exerted upon the sponge 13 during scrubbing, the paste oozes out of the pores and accordingly reaches the skin surface to be treated. The cells of the sponge increase the scrubbing effect of the paste. The helpful application of flowing water carries away the contaminants adhering to the paste.

FIG. 5 shows that the block 13 of the unitary porous structure is not only provided with the large open pored cells of the sponge 16 for reception of the paste 17 (represented by dots in FIG. 5) of the composition previously described by way of example, but also that a part 16a of the large pored sponge takes up a protective cream in FIG. 5 represented by dashes. The body 13 is provided with tear-off film or foil 19, the sponge 16 for the reception of the paste 17 provided with a tear-off foil 20, and the sponge 16a for reception of the skin protective cream with a tear-off foil 21. The foils 19, 20, and 21 are separately strippable, so that it is possible, for example, to strip the foil 19 alone, but leave the foils 20 and 21 untouched, if, for example, neither the paste nor the protective cream are required, so that the latter two materials can neither dry out nor become unclean when not used.

FIG. 6 shows a modification wherein the receiving space for the paste 17, combined with the porous body 13 into a manipulatable unit, is formed by a flexible film or foil 22 having numerous perforations, which also can be comprised of cloth. After removal of the st-rippable foil 20 upon application of light pressure the paste exudes from the perforations 23 and thereby reaches the skin surface being treated. The foil or cloth 22 supports the rubbing of the paste for the separation of the radioactive material from the skin.

Also the skin protective cream is enclosed by a foil provided with perforations or by a corresponding permeable cloth 24. After removal of the strippable foil 21, the rubbing of the skin surface with protective cream is possible.

FIG. 7 shows a receptacle 25 having a closeable discharge opening 26 for the dry synthetic foam granulate or powder which is mixed with any sort of adsorbant or absorbant or also ion exchange substance and as required with healing, skin feeding, and also disinfectant material. Before rubbing on the skin the granulate is stirred to a paste with water or with any other liquid.

With the receptacle 25 there is separably connected a further receptacle 27 for the reception of several pads 28, which can be of cloth, but also of comparatively abrasion resistant paper or thin sheets of a soft to medium-hard synthetic, especially polyurethane, foam material. The pads 28 are individually removable and usable for rubbing the paste on and thereafter thrown away.

For preparation of such cloths, for example, and particularly advantageously, Molton cloths or non-woven bands are dipped in a hydrochloride solution of a dilute, aqueous strongly cationically active, weakly alkaline, basic polymer, totaling on dry basis 0.1% in cellulose by weight, squeezed out, and then in a jigger or, foulard type drying machine introduced into an aqueous suspension of 20 parts by weight mont-morilloni-te,

10 parts by weight of a styrene-butadiene-acrylic estercopolyrnerisate dispersion,

5 parts by weight of glycerine and 65 parts by weight of water;

and thereafter squeezed out and dried.

After cutting up a small cloth or tissue is produced which serves for the removal of radioactive contaminants.

For preparation of a polyurethane sponge for the aforementioned purpose, by way of example and particularly advantageously there are added together 30 parts by weight of water-free calcium bentonite with an exchange capacity of 30 m. eq./ g. and 10 parts by weight of sodium aluminumhydrosilicate, 87 parts by weight of a mixed condensation product of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide and 100 parts by weight of toluene diisocy'anate.

After completion of the prepolymerization reaction, a mixture of 16 parts by weight of a propellant (e.g.,, Freon 11),

1 part by weight of water and 87 parts by weight of a condensation product of ethylenediamine and propyleneand ethylene-oxide, possibly with addition of stannous stearate as a catalyst,

is added, foamed, and allowed to go to completion of the reaction at 6070 C. There results a soft elastic foam, which serves for the removal of radioactive contaminants.

Separably connected with the receptacle 28 is a unitary porous body 13 particularly one of a medium-hard to hard synthetic foam material.

FIG. 8 shows in side view a container 29 for the reception of the synthetic foam granulate or powder having as required the aforementioned addition materials. This container is comprised preferably of a soft plastic, so that it is compressible by hand and through compression the paste or also the dry granulate or powder is expressed from the closeable opening 26. Connected with this containe r 29, possibly 'sep'ar'ably, is a unitary porous body 13;

Advantageously as a convenient assembly of means useful in safeguarding personnel or animals which may be subjected to radioactive contamination, the cleansing device may also include or store a supply of salve or cream forming a protective layer on the skin which may be applied before radioactive contamination is anticipated as a possibility, and for the removal of which the foam either or both anionic or cationic types used in place of or in combination with the sorbant' materials, preferably in weight content of from 7% to 50% Such a protective layer may be provided particularly advantageously by a cream adapted to form on the skin a layer which is skin-adherent and elastic by inclusion of an extensible film-forming component so that after drying or setting on the skin it adheres without cracking or tearing in consequence of bodily movement or mobility of the skin; the cream further containing advantageously a radiation indicator, and materials as previously described which as sorbants or ion-exchangers take up contaminants. As film formers, named in said pending application Ser. No. 442,212, there may be mentioned methyl cellulose, polyvinyl alcohol, special gelatins, Konjacku, Hei Tao and tragacanth.

Thus the layer structure as such, and further the ability of the components thereof to capture and hold the radioactive materials, localizes the contamination in this layer to a great degree rather than permitting it to reach the skin surface. The film-building component additionally allows ease of removal of contamination by permitting the layer deliberately to be rubbed off from or stripped in large pieces from the skin, or crumbled into non-adherent debris upon deliberate rubbing or scrubbing procedures, after the exposure to contamination has passed.

Such protective cream is particularly advantageously prepared, for example, as follows:

In a non-rusting container with stirring, to

parts by weight of dimethyl cellulose dissolved in 95 parts by weight of a suitable solvent 5-10 parts by weight of glycerine are added;

After uniform dispersal, there is added in a thin stream 30 parts by weight of a high value-massage oil, e.g., olive oil, until formation of a primary emulsion,

then 2 parts by weight of camille extract, and

1 part by weight of a preservative, e.g., Nipagin.

After formation of the primary emulsion there is added 8 50, parts by weight of montmorillonite (Ca-bentonite) which previously had been soaked with 200 parts by Weight of water,

and the whole then thoroughly stirred until a homogeneous paste has been formed.

For use, all parts of the skin exposed to contact with radioactive substances and to radioactive rays are thinly coated with this salve rubbed on and allowed to dry or set. After use the protective cream layer is easily washed off with water or rubbed off, and leaves the skin with a remarkably pleasant and clean feeling. The protective cream remains on the skin to dry without penetration, and thereby forms a cohesive protective layer which is extensible to the degree that it doesnottear upon movement of the body or of its members or muscles.

As a further example, in a closed, non-rusting vessel equipped with kneading stirring apparatus there are brought together and strongly stirred 270 parts by weight of lithium-bentonite having a cation exchange capacity of 30 milliequivalents per grams and an anion exchange capacity of at least 10 milliequivalents per 100 grams,

50 parts by weight of titanium dioxide,

2 parts by weight of cadmium borate as an indicator,

65 parts by weight of glycerine, I

600 parts by weight of a 10% methyl hydroxyethyl cellulose solution,

4 parts by weight of a perfumed hormone oil (an antiwrinkle oil),

1 part by weight of vitamine F and 8 parts by weight of a fatty alcohol polyglycol ether.

There is produced a pleasant smelling and easily spread paste, which after use can, be quickly flushed off with water, or can be removed without water through light rubbing e.g., with a cloth of cellular material.

The removal of the protective layer with the radioactive contaminants can be carried out with porous bodies, especially of foam material either in a unitary form or in granulated or powdered form, which powders or granulates moreover may contain adsorbant and/ or absorbant substances, and also ion-exchangers, and can as well also contain skin-healing, -nutritive and -disinfectant substances, as described above and in the aforementioned patent application.

The previously described cloths or soft foam pads for the removal of contaminants are advantageously used also 1n conjunction with the protective cream; for to the extent that the skin is not covered by the described protective film layer, a cloth or soft sponge is used with a paste of the synthetic foam granulate or powder containing addition materials of the aforementioned character, to get the paste easily and with certainty into deeper lying regions of the skin; or such cloths or pads may themselves incorporate such addition materials as have been described, especially ion-exchangers or disinfectants.

We claim:

1. Means for removing radioactive contaminants from the skin and other surfaces mechanically by scrubbing, comprising a synthetic foam body at least on its scrubbing surface open-celled, and medium-hard to hard in order to crumble away in scrubbing, whereby cell walls with skinscraping sharp edges are presented to gather contaminants into the cells, which with the scrubbing in crumbling away carry off the gathered contaminants renewing the sharp edges in and freeing the foam surface of contaminants in a self-cleansing fashion; said foam having incorporated therein 1% to 25 by weight of a material selected from the group consisting of adsorbent, absorbent and ion-exchange materials with respect to radioactive contaminants; the foam body selected from the group consisting of polyurethane foam, phenol resin foam, polystyrene foam, buna rubber base foam, and natural rubber base foam materials.

2. Means as described in claim 1, wherein the sorbant materials are selected from the group consisting of activated carbon, phthalocyanine dyestuffs, gels, and clays having a fine grain size of about microns and larger.

3. Means as described in claim 1, wherein the incorporated material is an ion-exchanger and the foam material is selected from the group consisting of polyurethane base foams and phenol resin foams.

4. Means as described in claim 1 resulting from the addition, in the reactant mixture for production of the foam material of the incorporated material, before completion of the foaming reaction.

5. Means as described in claim 1, wherein the incorporated material is disposed in hollow spaces in the bifurcations between cells of the foam.

6. Means as described in claim 1, wherein the incorporated material is included in the molecular structure of the foam material.

7. Means for removing radioactive contaminants from the skin and other surfaces mechanically by scrubbing, comprising the combination, in a conveniently sized, hand manipulatable unit, of a unitary, porous, synthetic foam skin-scrubbing body open-celled at least on its scrubbing surface and medium-hard to hard in order to crumble away in scrubbing, whereby cell Walls with skin-scraping sharp edges are presented to gather contaminants into the cells, which with the scrubbing in crumbling away carry off the gathered contaminants renewing the sharp edges in and freeing the foam surface of contaminants in a selfcleansing fashion; with storage means located remotely from the skin-scrubbing portion of said body; said storage means charged with granulated medium-hard to hard synthetic foam material, said granulated material affording immediately available means for cleaning skin areas not or less accessible to said unitary body; the said material and the said body selected from the group consisting of polyurethane foams and phenol resin foams.

8. Means for removing skin contaminants as described in claim 7, wherein said body is comprised of a polyurethane base foam.

9. Means for removing skin contaminants as described in claim 7, including further storage means charged with a skin treating cream.

10. Means for removing skin contaminants as described in claim 7, wherein said storage means comprises large open cells of a soft synthetic foam.

11. Means for removing skin contaminants as described in claim 7, wherein said storage means is formed by a flexible film envelope provided With at least one discharge aperture.

12. Means for removing skin contaminants as described in claim 7 having at least a portion of said storage means presenting an opening from the granulated material to the exterior and with said storage means covered by a strippable protective film.

13. Means for removing skin contaminants as described in claim 7. wherein an impermeable barrier layer is disposed between the said porous foam body and said storage means.

14. Means for removing skin contaminants as described in claim 7, wherein protective film covering is provided for and is separately strippable from the said porous foam body and the said storage means.

15. Means for removing skin contaminants as described in claim 7, wherein a receptacle is provided as the storage means for the granulated foam material in combination With a container enclosing a plurality of individually useable pads.

16. Means for removing skin contaminants as described in claim 15, wherein said pads are comprised of soft to medium hard polyurethane foam sponges incorporating a substance selected from the group consisting of adsorbent, absorbent and ion-exchange substances.

17. Means for removal of skin contaminants as described in claim 7, wherein the unitary porous body is formed with markedly rounded edges.

18. For protecting human or animal skin from radioactive contaminants and for removal of the latter from the skin, a protective cream for application to the skin before the anticipated contamination, consisting essentially of from 7% to by weight of a substance selected from the group consisting of materials adsorbent for, materials absorbent for and materials active as ion-exchangers with respect to, radioactive contaminants, and a film-former adapted to form a flexible extensible film whereby said cream sets to an adherent, continuous cohesive protective layer, removable after such event and therewith any such contaminants, by rubbing 011.

19. A cream as described in claim 18, wherein ionexchangers are present in an amount of from 7% to 50% by weight.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATIENTS 1,553,775 9/1925 Hertz 252-91 1,989,201 1/1935 Kurtz et al 15543 2,076,604 4/1937 Watson 2529l 2,613,011 10/1952 Smith 25291 2,621,355 12/1952 Fisher 15-506 2,855,269 10/1958 Boyd et a1. 252301.1 3,002,937 10/1961 Parker et al. 2529l 3,047,434 7/1962 Bulat 1347 3,063,873 11/1962 Saroyan 1344 3,088,158 5/1963 Boyle et a1. 15-506 3,149,364 9/1964 Babtist et al. 15-506 3,283,357 11/1966 Decker et al 252-91 FOREIGN PATENTS 763,547 12/ 1956 Great Britain.

LEON D. ROSDOL, Primary Examiner W. SCHULZ, Assistant Examiner

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