Contaminated areas should be either bypassed or, when protective equipment is worn, crossed. After crossing a contaminated area, decontaminate yourself and your equipment as soon as the situation permits. They can disable or kill. Liquid agents may be dispersed on you, your equipment, the terrain, and foliage. The agents may linger for hours or days and endanger you when you are unprotected.
Biological agents are hard to detect in early stages of use.
If you find out or suspect that the enemy is using biological agents, report it to your leader. The M8 automatic chemical-agent alarm can detect the presence of chemical agents in the air and produce an audible or visual signal. It will detect nerve, blood, and choking agents. The M43A1 detects only nerve-agent vapor. The use and maintenance of the M8 alarm is the responsibility of the unit NBC defense team.