ROTC MS 1: MILITARY KNOWLEDGE MODULE

HYGIENE AND SANITATION

OBJECTIVES: 

At the end of this module, you will be able to:

1. Understand the rules of personal hygiene;

2. Understand the rules of cleanliness and sanitation which soldiers should follow to keep
and maintain camps;
3. Understand the methods of waste disposal;
4. Understand the Eight (8) Water Contaminants and How to Stop them;
5. Understand the methods of treatments of water impurities.

HYGIENE AND SANITATION 

Personal Hygiene and Sanitation is every soldier’s responsibility. A command is the mirror-
image of its Commander, the state of the health of men and the condition they work in, reflect
the leadership, discipline and supervision in the unit. If one or several members of an operating
unit become sick due to bad sanitation, the effective strength of the unit is reduced thus
diminishing its fighting capability and efficiency.

Therefore, it is important to practice hygiene and sanitation not only to serve as an example,
but also to impart to others the need for clean and healthful living to support our primary
objective that is the accomplishment of the mission.

Rules of hygiene and sanitation are simple and easy to follow but some carelessly disregard
them. It is for this reason that everybody should sometimes go out of their way to remind and
see to it that aid rules of good hygiene and sanitation are followed.

RULES OF PERSSONAL HYGIENE  

Following are basic health guidelines that everyone must follow to stay as a combat effective
soldier.

1. Always keep your body clean. Take a bath once every day. As minimum, bathe your feet,
hands and private parts. If possible, change your underwear and socks after bathing. When
water is scarce, you may bathe at least twice a week. If water availability is worst, scrub your
body regularly with clean wet cloth.

2. Change your underclothing daily if possible, If not, at least twice a week. Inspect them for
lice, fleas or other bug that may keep you itchy.

3. Change clothing, shoes or socks immediately after they are get wet to avoid getting colds,
athletes foot and other illnesses.

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 4. Brush your teeth at least twice a day, preferably after waking up and before going to bed.
Brush your teeth on the inside and outside, away from the gums and towards the cutting surface
of the teeth.

5. Always wash your hands with soap and water after doing fatigue duty, after engaging in
strenuous exercise, before eating and after coming out of the comfort room.

6. Use only your own eating and drinking utensils if possible. You may contact disease from
infected mess gear or personal articles of others. For the same reason, avoid borrowing and
lending your own pipes, towels, shoes, etc.

7. When mosquito’s and other flying insects are present in your area, be sure to use your
mosquito net. Tuck it well around your bedding and ensure that there are no holes before
sleeping. Take your anti-malaria tablets regularly, many soldiers became fatal casualties due to
their indifference to this tiny but effective anti-malaria tablets.

8. Never drink water from any untreated source until has been declared safe for drinking by your
medical officer. When purification tablets (such as halazone) are available, use them to treat
your drinking water. If there are none, you may consider boiling your water at least fifteen
minutes to kill the harmful bacteria’s germs that may be present.

9. Relieve yourself on an area which is designated as the head area for your unit.

10. Exercise your muscles and joints regularly. Inactivity may do equal damage to your health
as extreme exertion or fatigue.

11. Avoid venereal diseases. Do not associate with infected woman who may be carries of
these diseases. If you think you have caught any of these sexually transmitted diseases report
to your medical officer at once. Any venereal disease can be cured much easier and quickly on
its early stage. Untreated VD may result to death or permanent damage to your body.

12. As a leader, you must set an example of personal cleanliness and sanitary. Discipline to
your men. If possible, bathe, shave and wear clean clothes daily. Observe all the precaution
mentioned above and require that everybody do likewise.

CAMP SANITATION 

Camp Sanitation refers to the rules of cleanliness and sanitation which soldiers should follow to
keep and maintain camps.

1. When putting up camps and bivouacs, build them around a sanitary plan. Make provision for
sanitation requirements, such as the location of the galley, the head and the billeting areas of
the men.

2. Control your water supply. Purify drinking water in a manner approved by the medical officer.
When water source is a stream or a river, mark separate water points for washing, cooking and
human consumption. Washing and bathing points must always be downstream from points used

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for human consumption. Of course, in the case of tactical camps, these watering points must be
well secured against enemy harassment.

3. Locate and construct heads and urinals away from the galley, mess hall, and water supply
but not too far from the living areas. As much as possible, heads and urinals should be situated
downwind of above mentioned areas. In the construction of heads, follow the prescribed design.
When situation allows a straddle type head trench may be constructed easily. The trench should
be dug one foot wide, two and half feet deep and four feet long or longer depending on the
number of men who will use it. The earth removed in digging is piled at the end of the trench
with a can or shovel so that each men can cover his waste with soil after using the trench.
Wooden plants may be used to improve the stepping area of this type of head. When leaving
the camp be sure to cover the trench completely. A simple field urinal may as easily be
constructed.

4. Maintain the sanitary conditions in the galley. Food must be stored in clean receptacles.
Garbage, leftovers and other refuse must be disposed of at designated dumping areas or
garbage pits, where they may be covered with soil or burned. When improperly disposed and
left uncovered, insects, especially flies, feed on this garbage, pick up the germs and later
transfer them to your food. Dysentery and other illness may then result.

5. Carry out a continuous campaign against insect, rodents and other pests may include flies,
mosquitoes, lice, ticks, mites, cockroaches and rats. The simplest way to control the increase of
these pests is to cut-off their nourishment by screening heads, galleys and messes and by
disposing waste properly. You must also drain or soil stagnant pools of water to kill the larvae of
insects when in the field. Bury empty ration cans and turns split coconut husks upside down to
prevent disease carrying insects and rodents to breed or feed on them.

Sources of waste can be broadly classified into four types: Industrial, Commercial,

Domestic, and Agricultural.

Industrial Waste. These are the wastes created in factories and industries. ...
Commercial Waste. Commercial wastes are produced in schools, colleges, shops, and offices.
Domestic Waste. ...
Agricultural Waste.

SYSTEMS OF WASTE DISPOSAL 

Waste disposal methods

In general, waste should undergo material recycling or thermal treatment. If this is not possible
for technical reasons, or it is not economically viable, the waste is deposited in a landfill
following suitable treatment.

The standard waste disposal methods used in Switzerland are defined and described below:

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Recycling

Recycling refers to both the direct reuse of used products (e.g. used clothing and functioning
parts removed from used vehicles) and material recycling, that is the recovery of raw materials
from waste (e.g. production of new glass from fragments, the melting of scrap iron and the
production of recycled building materials from construction waste). Down cycling refers to the
transformation of waste to materials of lower quality than the initially used material.

Incineration

Combustible waste from households and waste wood that is not suitable for recycling undergo
thermal treatment in waste incineration plants or waste wood furnaces. The heat released in the
process is used to generate electricity and heat buildings. Waste with a high calorific value
and low level of pollutant contamination can be used in industrial plants, e.g. cement plants, as
an alternative to fossil fuels. Waste that is contaminated with organic pollutants undergoes
separate thermal treatment (e.g. in hazardous waste incineration plants). Incinerators must have
a flue gas treatment system. The requirements for flue gas treatment and the incineration
system are based on the nature of the waste.

Specialized waste disposal companies treat the waste in accordance with the requirements of
the incineration plant. This guarantees that the fuel will be of a high quality and reduces the
accident risk. The companies ensure, for example, that no undesirable reactions occur when
liquids are mixed. Waste materials that are used as substitute fuels in cement plants must be
crushed in advance and set at a constant calorific value.

Chemical-physical and biological treatment

The objective of both chemical-physical and biological treatment is to enable the removal of

pollutants from waste or its safe landfilling. Wastewater and polluted excavated material are
typical of the types of waste that are managed in this way. Following chemical-physical
treatment, the pollutants can be disposed of in concentrated form in facilities suitable for this
purpose.

Landfills

Residues from waste incineration or waste that is not suitable for material recycling or thermal
treatment are deposited in landfills that are compliant with the legal requirements. If the waste
does not fulfil the requirements for landfilling, it must be pre-treated.

Collection and logistics

The waste management sector involves many different specialized actors. Their tasks include
the collection of waste at source (industry, commerce and households) in suitable transport
containers, its intermediate storage and handover to waste disposal operations. The treatment

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of waste is often based on a cascade of specialized plants. In all cases, smooth logistics are a
precondition for the efficient management of waste. In the case of hazardous waste, in
accordance with the Ordinance on Movements of Waste, the handover must be documented.

TREATMENT OF WATER IMPURITIES

Common water treatment processes such as flocculation, sedimentation, filtration and

disinfection are employed to remove general impurities such as floating and suspended
matters, colloidal particles, dissolved organic matter and destruction of disease-causing
microorganisms (pathogens).

Eight (8) Water Contaminants and How to Stop them:

Each impurity carries its own risks to chemical and biological research, not to mention the
detrimental effect they cause to the quality of pure water. Here we discuss the 8 main types of
water contaminants, and how they can be prevented.

1. Microorganisms

Bacteria, algae and fungi all regularly interfere with sterile research applications. Bacteria can
adversely influence cell and tissue culture by competing at enzyme-active sites on substrates.

If free-floating bacteria form biofilms on surfaces, they can be extremely difficult to remove.
These biofilms can grow for several years, spontaneously releasing bursts of bacteria, along
with their associated endotoxins and nucleases.

These nucleases then break down DNA and RNA in samples, and the endotoxins will have a
negative effect on the growth and function of cells.

2. Viruses

Viruses – referred to as non-living nucleic acids – adversely affect tissue and cell growth. They
are extremely small, with most of them falling between 0.01 – 0.3 microns, and they can survive
for long periods of time. Once they’ve been spotted in water, they should be removed as soon
as possible.

3. Pyrogens

For mammalian cell cultures, and the preparation of solutions or devices that will later have
contact with humans and other mammals, it’s crucial that the water used is pyrogen-free.

The most significant component of pyrogens – a form of endotoxin – is lipopolysaccharides

(LPS), which is derived from Gram-negative bacteria walls. If LPS gets into the blood or spinal
fluid, it can be toxic and cause a fever.

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4. Dissolved Inorganic Ions

Silicates, chlorides, calcium, fluorides, magnesium, phosphates, bicarbonates, sulphates,

nitrates and ferrous compounds are all forms of dissolved inorganic ions.

The instability in water caused by these ions will negatively influence chemical and biological
reactions. Results include the formation of protein-protein and protein-lipid interaction, altering
enzymatic activity, and delaying the growth of cells and tissue.

5. Dissolved Organic Compounds

These are derived from animal and plant decay, in addition to any human activities that involve
the introduction of alcohol, protein, pesticides, chloramine, herbicides or detergents into the
environment.

Dissolved organic compounds interfere with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC),
gas chromatography and fluoroscopy.

6. Dissolved Gases

Water contains naturally dissolved carbon dioxide, nitrogen and oxygen, but these gases can
alter the pH of lab water, which upsets the ionic balance. Concentrations of oxygen and nitrogen
can affect the rate of biochemical reactions; and high concentration of dissolved gases can
cause a bubble formation, which obstructs the flow through chromatography columns and
micro-channels.

Dissolved carbon dioxide raises water acidity, reducing the capacity of ion exchange resins in DI
systems.

7. Suspended Particles

When large suspended particles of clay, sand, silt or vegetation between 1 – 10µm are found in
water, they cause turbidity and settle at the bottom.

Suspended particles can foul reverse osmosis membranes, filters and chromatography
columns, especially if the system stems from a reservoir or tank within the building.

8. Colloidal Particles

Colloidal particles are much smaller than suspended particles, at just 0.01 – 1.0µm, and they
don’t settle.

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Colloidal particles regularly interfere with analytical techniques, and bypass ion exchange
resins, which result in lower resistivity in DI water.

Water Treatment Processes such as flocculation, sedimentation, filtration and disinfection

1. Coagulation and flocculation processes are dependent on a multitude of variable

interrelated factors: temperature! turbidity, color, pH-value, alkalinity, nature of coagulant
and intensity and duration of stirring during mixing and flocculation. The optimal dose of
the coagulant cannot be found by analyzing the raw water. Rather, it must be
determined by an experiment on laboratory scale (approximation of real conditions).
Such a test ought to follow this procedure:

2. Sedimentation is a physical water treatment process using gravity to remove suspended

solids from water. Solid particles entrained by the turbulence of moving water may be
removed naturally by sedimentation in the still water of lakes and oceans.

Sedimentation is a phenomenon which occurs in nature perpetually. It aids the natural

purification of lakes and rivers. Use is made of this physical process in the treatment of
water by passing it through settling basins or storage tanks at low and uniform velocities.
This constitutes a simple means of reducing the contents of suspended matter and
partially of bacteria.

Sedimentation is usually just one of several sequential treatment processes. It can be

combined by preceding it with coagulation and flocculation, and succeeding it with slow
sand filtration. Following these procedures, disinfection is required for high bacteria
contents.

3. Filtration is a physical process that occurs when liquids, gases, dissolved or suspended
matter adhere to the surface of, or in the pores of, an absorbent medium.

Filtration of contaminants depends highly on the amount of contaminant, size of the

contaminant particle, and the charge of the contaminant particle. Depending on the
household’s water needs, pretreatment before filtration may include the addition of
coagulants and powdered activated carbon, adjustments in pH or chlorine concentration
levels, and other pretreatment processes in order to protect the filter’s membrane
surface.

4. Water disinfection processes are designed to destroy disease producing organisms by

means of disinfectants. The degree or efficiency of disinfection depends on the method
employed and on the following factors influencing the process:

- kind and concentration of microorganisms in the water,

- other constituents of the water which may impede disinfection or render it impossible,

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 - contact time provided (important for chemical disinfectants, since their effect is not
instantaneous, a time of contact is necessary),

- temperature of the water (higher temperatures speed up chemical reactions).

How to Prevent Contaminants

The main way to prevent and remove contaminants are through water purification systems.
Different technologies have been created, each specialising in the removal of specific
contaminants.

For example, whilst the process of distillation won’t remove ionised gases, inorganic ions or
dissolved non-ionised gases, they will filter out bacteria and pyrogens.

Reverse osmosis (RO) is hailed as one of the most effective ways of removing contaminants, as
this process removes up to 99% of impurities in water. Dissolved organics and ionics,
suspended impurities, bacteria and pyrogens are all removed from water when RO is used.

To conclude, contaminants can be very damaging to water. Once found, they should be
removed as soon as possible, using the most effective form of water purification technology.

CONTROL MEASURES AGAINTS DISEASES  

1. Handle & Prepare Food Safely. Food can carry germs.

2. Wash Hands Often
3. Clean & Disinfect Commonly Used Surfaces
4. Cough and Sneeze into a Tissue or Your Sleeve
5. Don't Share Personal Items
6. Get Vaccinated
7. Avoid Touching Wild Animals
8. Stay Home When Sick

Prepared By:

1LT MARIA VICTORIA C CAALIM PA (RES)

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