MANAGEMENT AND DISPOSAL OF VEHICLES FOLLOWING A WIDE AREA INCIDENT: LITERATURE REVIEW AND STAKEHOLDER WORKSHOP
Citation:
Boe, T., S. Lee, P. Lemieux, Michael Calfee, AND L. Oudejans. MANAGEMENT AND DISPOSAL OF VEHICLES FOLLOWING A WIDE AREA INCIDENT: LITERATURE REVIEW AND STAKEHOLDER WORKSHOP. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/600/R-19/068, 2019.
Impact/Purpose:
This report details the results of a literature review and stakeholder workshop conducted to begin to synthesize existing knowledge and research related to vehicles impacted following a wide area CBRN incident. The literature review sought to identify relevant articles, reports, and other information related to methods for quantifying, assessing, collecting and managing (recycling and/or disposal of) contaminated vehicles.
Description:
EPA’s National Homeland Security Research Center (NHSRC) coordinated a one-day workshop on Vehicle Waste Management and Disposal, which was held on Monday, November 13, 2017, at EPA’s Potomac Yard South located in Arlington, Virginia. The workshop brought together officials from federal, state, and local governments, as well as researchers and experts from the automotive recycling, scrap recycling, waste management, and insurance industries, to discuss research, operational, and waste management considerations related to the characterization, management, reuse/resale, recycling, and disposal of vehicles following a wide area man-made or natural incident. Many of the observations discussed and presented in this report are consistent with the challenges that were identified in the literature review. The workshop participants identified numerous information needs, gaps, and areas for future investigation and research related to vehicle management following wide-area incidents. Results of the literature review and insights gained through the stakeholder workshop validate that while there are many valuable lessons learned from natural disaster responses and work by other federal agencies to address decontamination of valuable vehicle assets to leverage, many questions remain unanswered. Additional research is needed to gain a full appreciation of the impact managing vehicles from a wide area CBRN event may have, as well as guidance and support to aid decontamination and waste management strategies.