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Chemical concentration versus time (CvT) data is commonly used to characterize the toxicokinetic (TK) properties of chemical substances. However, obtaining in vivo CvT data requires scientific labor and use of animal subjects. To reduce or eliminate new animal testing, it remains...

The effort with FY19 funding was for further experimentation and refinement of a numerical model with benzene, in support of contamination resulting for California wildfires. This year's request (and corresponding change in FY) is aimed at unstudied organics. This work is also pa...

An intentional and nefarious attack or unintentional release of a chemical warfare agent (CWA) is expected to trigger a significant effort to clean up a contaminated area. Such effort becomes more complex when considering the permeability of common indoor building materials to so...

This report summarizes the results of infrastructure decontamination experiments performed at the WSTB.  These experiments focused on simulating contamination of drinking water distribution pipes with a commonly available insecticide formulation containing malathion.  M...

A release of a chemical warfare agent (CWA) will create an acute and significant exposure risk to the public as well as remediation contractors who would be tasked to cleanup a contaminated site. It would require decontamination of the contaminated area which may hold sensitive e...

In the event of a chemical, biological, radiological, and/or nuclear (CBRN) wide-area incident, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible for environmental remediation, waste disposal processes, data collection, and data quality checks to advise decision-makin...

The U.S. EPA’s Homeland Security Research Program (HSRP) is charged with protecting human health and the environment from accidental and intentional releases of toxic chemicals and other threat agents. Such chemical agents include Fourth Generation Agents (FGAs), which repr...

Lack of surface sampling and analysis methods are available to identify potential toxic byproducts of Novichok agents. While Novichok agents were sampled and analyzed, there was not much information to support and/or investigate potential breakdown/byproducts from environmental F...

Field-level exercises with the purpose to assess remediation following the deliberate release of a highly toxic chemical in an indoor environment can be conducted using low(er) toxicity simulants if they are closely linked to the behavior of the toxic chemical itself. Experimenta...

Aims: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of steam heat for inactivation of SARS-CoV-2 when applied to materials common in mass transit installations. Methods and Results: SARS CoV-2 (USA-WA1/2020) was resuspended in either cell culture media or synthetic sali...

The Water Security Test Bed (WSTB) is a full-scale representation of a drinking water distribution pipe that conveys potable water. It is the product of a partnership between Idaho National Laboratory (INL) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).  Currently, the syste...

The COVID-19 pandemic has raised interest in using chemical air treatments as part of a strategy to reduce the risk of disease transmission, but more information is needed to characterize their efficacy at scales translatable to applied settings and to develop methods for evaluat...

The project team evaluated the device at multiple wavelengths to assess optimal performance under specific conditions for select contaminants and a suite of contaminants.  This collaboration focused on the following:  - Reactor optimization and flow scale-up,  - Mo...

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...

Most studies of the health effects and chemical characterization of the dust resulting from the catastrophic collapse of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, have focused on the large inorganic fraction of the particles; however, a few studies have identified mutagens an...

EPA ORD was awarded a funds-in multi year CRADA with the Canadian Government.  The CRADA is entitled Oil Spill Alternative Response Measures: Toxicity and Biodegradation of Treated Petroleum Oils. This is the Final Summary Report of ORD efforts. The Canadian government requires a...

Laboratory preparation of aqueous test media for toxicity testing is critical in developing information needed for oil spill response decision-making.  Multiple methods have been used to prepare physically and chemically dispersed oils which influence test outcome, interpretation...

Photo-induced toxicity of petroleum products and polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs) is the enhanced toxicity caused by their interaction with ultraviolet radiation and occurs by two distinct mechanisms: photosensitization and photomodification. Laboratory approaches for designi...

Drinking water storage tanks serve several important functions, which include but are not limited to providing an adequate water supply in the case of firefighting emergencies, power outages, water main breaks, or other system failures. The water level elevation in storage tanks ...

Dispersion models, which are important tools for efficient routine releases and emergency response preparation scenarios, typically incorporate logarithmic wind speed profiles when simulating flow and downwind dispersion. This may be acceptable for regions with low surface roughn...

The species sensitivity distribution (SSD) is an international approach to hazard estimation using the probability distribution of toxicity values that is representative of the sensitivity of a group of species to a chemical. Application of SSDs in ecological risk assessment has ...

This EPA report provides information on decontamination options for surfaces contaminated with a fourth generation (chemical) agent. Decontaminants and surfaces were selected based on expected higher material compatibility than e.g., corrosive bleach with materials associated wit...

Under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Homeland Security Research Program (HSRP), research is being conducted necessary for identification of methods and technologies that can be used during hazardous materials remediation and cleanup efforts. The th...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was developed to protect human health and the environment by ensuring the nation has clean air, land, and water. Towards this effort, the Agency provides scientific solutions through the development of analytical methods and risk-based hea...

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...