CBRN events management and the use of the Hysplit model: an integrative literature review

Abstract

The potential risk of exposure of populations to chemical, biological, radioactive and nuclear (CBRN) agents, either by intentional causes or not, is a matter of national security and demands a constant improvement in its management. The models of atmospheric dispersion have been gaining prominence as a tool to support the management of risks to CBRN agents. The objective of this research was to identify and evaluate studies that used the HYSPLIT model in the context of CBRN events. For this purpose, an integrative literature review of published articles, between 2014 and 2018, was conducted from the PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and Lilacs databases. The analysis of the selected articles revealed the potential of the HYSPLIT model as a mathematical model to understand the transport, dispersion and deposition of CBRN threats released into the atmosphere. The data produced by the simulations generated by this code can reveal which areas will be potentially impacted in a given event or the region of origin of elements dispersed in the air. In addition, HYSPLIT can be aggregated as a decision support tool in the different phases of CBRN event management.