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Records with

  • Keyword = ’homeland security’ AND 'indoor outdoor decontamination' AND biological NOT (presentation OR poster).
Records 1 to 25 of 331

2023
Analysis for Coastal Operational Resiliency (AnCOR) Wide Area Demonstration (WAD)
(PUBLISHED REPORT) [Published : Sep 01, 2023]
Report on the Wide Area Demonstration (WAD) under the Analysis for Coastal Operational Resiliency (AnCOR) project. The AnCOR WAD was conducted from May 2 through May 27, 2022. The test venue was located at Fort A.P. Hill (FAPH), Bowling Green, VA. All work will was conducted at F...
Material Compatibility Studies for Chemical Warfare Agent Decontamination Solutions
(PUBLISHED REPORT) [Published : Aug 01, 2023]
EPA’s Homeland Security Research Program conducts decontamination efficacy studies that identify technologies that can be used to clean surfaces, materials, or objects contaminated with chemical, biological, or radiological agents. This project consisted of an assessment of the m...
Passenger vehicle interior decontamination by low concentration hydrogen peroxide vapor following a wide area biological contamination incident
(JOURNAL) [Published : Mar 09, 2023]
Rapid decontamination following a biological terror incident is paramount for the return of a city’s operations and economy to normalcy. An outdoor urban biological agent incident may require remediation of thousands of vehicles. In this research, the utilization of widely availa...
2022
Development of Field-Executable Sample Collection Protocols for USCG Assets following a Biological Incident
(PUBLISHED REPORT) [Published : Aug 01, 2022]
This study was conducted to help the USCG recover rapidly following a biological contamination incident and return assets to duty. Determination of asset contamination status is necessary to make decisions regarding asset safety and deployability. The outcome of the study describ...
Evaluating the impact of ultraviolet C exposure conditions on coliphage MS2 inactivation on surfaces
(JOURNAL) [Published : Oct 31, 2022]
Ultraviolet-C (UVC) radiation has long been used to disinfect air, water, and surfaces. The COVID-19 pandemic has recently raised interest in using UVC devices as an alternative approach for disinfecting surfaces and materials, as an increasing number of UVC devices come to marke...
Evaluation of pH Adjusted Bleach (pAB) and High-Test Hypochlorite (HTH) Decontaminants for US Coast Guard Assets following a Biological Agent Release
(PUBLISHED REPORT) [Published : Jan 01, 2022]
Wide-area remediation following a B. anthracis (Ba) spore release presents many issues including balancing the limited resources available with the need to characterize contamination, conduct decontamination, and management of post-decontamination waste. Capabilities and an opera...
Protocol for Detection of Ricin Biotoxin in Environmental Samples During the Removal Phase of Response to a Contamination Incident
(PUBLISHED REPORT) [Published : Apr 30, 2022]
This is a protocol for detection of ricin biotoxin in environmental samples. It includes two sensitive and specific analytical methods including the ElectroChemiLuminescence-Based Immunoassay (ECL-IA) and the Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA), also known as the Hand-Held ...
2021
Collection of Air Samples Potentially Contaminated with Microbiological Agents Using Impingers, Impactors, and Low-Volume Filters
(PUBLISHED REPORT) [Published : May 21, 2021]
This document provides step-by-step instructions for the use of impingers, impacters and filters to collect samples from air potentially contaminated with pathogens. It is intended to be used in conjunction with the analytical methods listed in U.S. Environmental Protection Agenc...
Collection of Microbiological Agent Samples from Potentially Contaminated Porous Surfaces Using Microvacuum Techniques
(PUBLISHED REPORT) [Published : May 21, 2021]
This document provides step-by-step instructions for the use of vacuum filter cassettes to collect samples from surfaces potentially contaminated with pathogens. It is intended to be used in conjunction with the analytical methods listed in U.S. Environmental Protection Agency&rs...
Collection of Surface Samples Potentially Contaminated with Microbiological Agents Using Swabs, Sponge Sticks and Wipes
(PUBLISHED REPORT) [Published : May 28, 2021]
This document provides step-by-step instructions for the use of swabs, wipes, and sponge-sticks to collect samples from surfaces potentially contaminated with microbiological agents. It is intended to be used in conjunction with the analytical methods listed in U.S. Environmental...
Decontamination of soil contaminated at the surface with Bacillus anthracis spores using dry thermal treatment
(JOURNAL) [Published : Feb 15, 2021]
In the event of a wide-area release of Bacillus anthracis spores, soils and other outdoor materials may become contaminated with the biological agent. A study was conducted to assess the in-situ remediation of soil using a dry thermal treatment approach to inactivate a B. anthrac...
Inactivation of Bacillus anthracis and Bacillus atrophaeus Spores on Surfaces with Ultraviolet Light Produced Via Either Light Emitting Diodes or a Low-Pressure Mercury Vapor Lamp
(JOURNAL) [Published : Nov 01, 2021]
Journal article; Aims: To obtain data on the efficacy of two ultraviolet light (UVC) technologies for inactivation of Bacillus anthracis Ames and Bacillus atrophaeus spores on surfaces.
Inactivation of a Bacillus anthracis Spore Surrogate on Outdoor Materials Via the Spray Application of Sodium Dichloro-s- triazinetrione and Other Chlorine-Based Decontaminant Solutions
(PUBLISHED REPORT) [Published : May 31, 2021]
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Homeland Security Strategic Research Action Plan was established to advance EPA’s capabilities to recover from a wide-area contamination incident, and the study described in this report supports that objective. This small study evaluated...
Literature Search and Review for Sampling, Analysis, and Decontamination of Biological Warfare Agent-Contaminated Maritime Vessels
(PUBLISHED REPORT) [Published : Feb 25, 2021]
This report summarizes the current scientific literature on remediation-related activities associated with US Coast Guard vessels and other assets. It also provides descriptions of research gaps and needs for consideration by US Coast Guard and other federal agencies to improve o...
Sampling and Analysis Plan (SAP) Template Tool for Addressing Environmental Contamination by Pathogens AND User's Guide
(PUBLISHED REPORT) [Published : Sep 30, 2021]
The User Guide and corresponding Template Tool are provided to facilitate generation of an outline that can be used to develop sampling and analysis plans (SAPs) in support of exercises, research studies or remediation activities following a contamination incident involving patho...
Tools Used for Visualizing Sampling and Analysis Data During Response to a Contamination Incident
(PUBLISHED REPORT) [Published : Nov 25, 2021]
In the event of a chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear (CBRN) wide-area incident, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible for clearance, waste disposal processes, and data collection and quality checks to advise decision-making. This research effor...
Understanding Detection Limits within the Current Interim Clearance Goal for Bacillus anthracis Contamination
(PUBLISHED REPORT) [Published : May 20, 2021]
In this report, sampling and analysis method ranges of recovery efficiency (RE), limit of detections (LOD), and false negative rates (FNR) for environmental matrices and analysis methods will be summarized and used to illustrate their effects on the interpretation of sampling res...
2020
Comparison of surface sampling methods for an extended duration outdoor biological contamination study
(JOURNAL) [Published : Jun 24, 2020]
Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent for anthrax, is a dangerous pathogen to humans and has a history as a bioterrorism agent. While sampling methods have been developed and evaluated for characterizing and clearing contaminated indoor sites, the performance of these sampling ...
Compatibility of Electronic Equipment and Other Materials with Peracetic Acid Fog and Low Concentration Hydrogen Peroxide Vapor
(PUBLISHED REPORT) [Published : Aug 14, 2020]
The purpose of this study was to determine the impacts of PAA fog and LCHPV on representative indoor materials and electronic equipment. The fogging of PAA solution caused visually observed appearance changes (e.g., discoloration, oxidation, residue) on the copper, low-carbon ste...
Dispersion Modeling Systems Relevant to Homeland Security Preparedness and Response
(PUBLISHED REPORT) [Published : Oct 21, 2020]
Atmospheric dispersion modeling is one tool that can be used for effective emergency preparation or response from hazardous chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive (CBRNe) releases, especially in urban areas where population densities are high and wind flow bec...
EVALUATING THE ENVIRONMENTAL PERSISTENCE AND INACTIVATION OF MS2 BACTERIOPHAGE AND THE PRESUMED EBOLA VIRUS SURROGATE PHI6 USING LOW CONCENTRATION HYDROGEN PEROXIDE VAPOR
(JOURNAL) [Published : Mar 17, 2020]
The phages were inoculated onto six material types (both porous and nonporous), with and without the presence of human whole blood. The inoculated materials were then exposed to either a high or low concentration of HPV, and the phages were recovered from the materials at several...
EVALUATION OF ALTERED ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS AS A DECONTAMINATION APPROACH FOR NONSPORE-FORMING BIOLOGICAL AGENTS
(JOURNAL) [Published : Apr 01, 2020]
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of altered environmental conditions on the persistence of Francisella tularensis bacteria and Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis virus, on two material types. Results from this study provide information for inactivation of non-spo...
Literature Search and Review for Sampling, Analysis, and Decontamination of Chemical Warfare Agent - Contaminated Maritime Vessels
(PUBLISHED REPORT) [Published : Dec 31, 2020]
The USCG protects and defends more than 100,000 miles of U.S. coastline and inland waterways. To this end, the USCG may be responsible for countering and responding to incidents involving weapons of mass destruction, including biological warfare agents (BWAs) and chemical warfare...
Optimization of a Rapid Viability Polymerase Chain Reaction (RV-PCR) Protocol for Detection of Francisella Tularensis in Water Samples
(PUBLISHED REPORT) [Published : Mar 18, 2020]
This is a final report for the project on Optimization of a Rapid Viability (RV) PCR Protocol for Detection of Francisella tularensis in water. During a tularemia bioterrorism incident or a natural outbreak, the water system can be contaminated. This pathogen survives for many da...
Summary of hydrogen peroxide vapor generation using off-the-shelf items and equipment for the disinfection of spaces and materials
(SUMMARY) [Published : Sep 29, 2020]
The tech brief also provides information on how these devices could be operated so that a sufficient dose of hydrogen peroxide vapor is generated for disinfection purposes.