External defenses against toxic materials are by far more effective than the internal defenses of the body or antidotes. What it amounts to in simple terms is do not let toxic materials into the body to begin with: the idea is to place a barrier between responders and the poison. These barriers include chemical protective clothing and SCBA. Chemical protective clothing provides protection against absorption and contact tissue damage. SCBA prevents inhalation and ingestion of toxic materials. Firefighter turnouts do not provide any type of chemical protection from toxic materials. Turnouts may prevent some types of injection; however, the toxic materials will contaminate the turnouts. There are also some preventive measures that can be taken to prevent ingestion of toxic materials. Decontamination is also an external defense. The primary reason for conducting decontamination is the removal of toxic materials. Do not eat, drink, smoke, or place anything in your mouth until decontamination has been completed