Decontamination Strategies, Methods, and Related Technical Challenges for Remediation Following a Wide-Area Bacillus anthracis Spore Contamination Incident
Citation:
Wood, Joe. Decontamination Strategies, Methods, and Related Technical Challenges for Remediation Following a Wide-Area Bacillus anthracis Spore Contamination Incident. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/600/S-22/075, 2022.
Impact/Purpose:
This technical brief provides decision makers with a practical summary of recent US EPA scientific information and data related to remediation strategies and methods following a wide-area Bacillus anthracis spore contamination incident.
Description:
This technical brief is a summary of US EPA research publications providing input to solving the technical challenges involved with remediating a large urban area following a contamination incident involving spores of B. anthracis, the causative biological agent for anthrax disease. The research topics included in this summary are as follows: · Attenuation and transport of B. anthracis spores in an outdoor environment, with implications for remediation; · Decontamination studies evaluating the following aspects: o spore inactivation efficacy o spore removal efficiency o field demonstrations for remediation of specific infrastructure o decontamination issues specific to outdoor materials and conditions o increasing decontamination capacity for wide-area events · Large-scale spray application of decontaminants; · Modelling tools for wide-area decontamination decision making, prioritization, and planning