Search for: [Abstract = "Subsequent to the development of the chemical industry, incidents involving toxic chemicals have become a frequent occurrence. Such dangerous incidents include the use of chemical weapons of mass destruction in various international and internal conflicts, as well as by terrorist groups. A chemical incident, regardless of its character, is defined as an unforeseen, sudden occurrence leading, within a short time, to the release of a major amount of a chemical substance which has an immediate negative effect on people. Whatever the circumstances and character of the released chemicals, the primary task of the rescue personnel lies in limiting, to the largest possible extent, the number of human casualties. In order to achieve this, all rescue units, including medical units, must be with well prepared. In the case of chemical incidents, hospitals are a vital element of the response. Proper preparation of medical units to respond in such cases includes\: familiarity with potential sources of chemical threats\; knowledge of the chemicals possible effects and symptoms in people\; logistic and professional preparedness. A hospital’s preparedness for toxico\-medical response includes also the existence of an action plan in case of a chemical incident. The present dissertation is an attempt at assessing the levels of the above\-described preparedness in three major urban aglomerations"]

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