Evaluation of pH Adjusted Bleach (pAB) and High-Test Hypochlorite (HTH) Decontaminants for US Coast Guard Assets following a Biological Agent Release
Citation:
Oudejans, L., B. Wyrzykowska-Ceradini, D. Touati, J. Sawyer, T. Chamberlain, AND E. Morris. Evaluation of pH Adjusted Bleach (pAB) and High-Test Hypochlorite (HTH) Decontaminants for US Coast Guard Assets following a Biological Agent Release. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/600/R-22/027, 2022.
Impact/Purpose:
Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of inhalation anthrax, is one of the most highly studied biological threat agents. Significant gaps remain related to the remediation of a wide area following such biological release. This extends to the remediation of critical assets owned and operated by federal partners. This report provides information on expected decontamination efficacies for two decontaminants applied to multiple contaminated surfaces that are frequently encountered in the outdoor environment and in close association with materials found on US Coast Guard (USCG) response boats. This study is part of the Analysis for Coastal Operational Resiliency (AnCOR) program, an interagency effort (US EPA, USCG, and Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate) to assess and improve capabilities and strategic guidelines to prepare the U.S. for a wide-area release of a biological agent, including mitigating impacts to USCG facilities and assets. Local and state responders can benefit from this research with new information and tools to ensure community resilience to a wide area biological release that threatens public health and welfare.
Description:
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 operational strategy for cleaning up the outdoor environment are currently limited for a biological agent incident, and as such, represent a significant preparedness gap. Field-scale testing is critical in scaling up bench-scale research and transitioning these results to the end-users, thereby increasing technical capabilities including providing proven response plans for wide-area release scenarios in the United States. Over the past several years, EPA, in partnership with the Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate (DHS S&T) and other federal partners, states, and local governments, has been evaluating strategies and tactics for responding to an intentional release of Ba. Significant progress has been made in developing capabilities and preparedness to respond to indoor contamination incidents, particularly for relatively contained incidents (e.g., single facilities). The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) is the principal Federal Agency responsible for maritime safety, security, and environmental stewardship in U.S. ports and the majority of navigable waterways. In this capacity, the USCG maintains a fleet of response boats, vessels, and aircraft to protect the coast. In addition to these assets, the USCG maintains and operates many installations. In case of a wide-area release of Ba at a port city, the USCG would likely be the lead federal agency for the response activities. In addition to the challenges of addressing the widespread outdoor contamination, addressing sampling and decontamination of the USCG's unique assets represent additional capability gaps (e.g., vessels, aircraft, etc.). While some gaps and needed capabilities may be specific for USCG, in general, these also largely align with gaps and needs for response and recovery to a wide-area Ba incident in an urban environment. In this study, the physical removal and chemical decontamination methods were evaluated on selected materials representing various USCG assets. The decontamination efficiency was studied using two hypochlorite-based decontaminants prepared using water sources similar to possible field decontamination scenarios and applied using inexpensive, commercially available devices. Results from this project will contribute to the formation of guidelines for in situ decontamination of the USCG assets and outdoor areas using readily available water sources and off-the-shelf chemicals.