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Evaluation of Commercially-Available Equipment for the Decontamination of Bacillus Anthracis Spores in an Urban Subway System
Citation:
Calfee, W. Evaluation of Commercially-Available Equipment for the Decontamination of Bacillus Anthracis Spores in an Urban Subway System. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/600/R-17/156, 2017.
Impact/Purpose:
Contamination of an underground transportation system (i.e., subway tunnel or platform) following a biological terror incident would have a crippling effect on a city’s economy and stability. Rapid decontamination following such an incident is paramount for returning to normalcy. To facilitate a rapid mobilization following an incident and to shorten the remediation process, utilization of commercially available equipment is desirable. Equipment that can rapidly be obtained and utilized to dispense liquid sporicides to subway infrastructure would be very useful for underground transportation system decontamination. This study discusses the Underground Transport Restoration (UTR) project, an inter-agency effort, that aims to improve the capability for transit systems to quickly and efficiently recover from a biological contamination incident by refining existing methods, tools and protocols for characterization, clean-up, and clearance of contamination in physical structures (i.e., tunnels, stations) and rolling stock (i.e., subway trains). The research evaluated existing sampling, characterization, and decontamination technologies through experimentation, table-top exercises and operational demonstrations to develop guidance and decision frameworks and support tools through interactions of local, state and federal partners.
Description:
Report