Citation:

Mikelonis, A., C. Fuller, K. Ratliff, A. Touati, AND Michael Calfee. Influence of wash aids on Bacillus spore removal from an asphalt parking lot using two spray-based washing methods. JOURNAL OF APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY. Blackwell Publishing, Malden, MA, 132(4):2773-2780, (2022). https://doi.org/10.1111/jam.15405

Impact/Purpose:

This paper contains data from a parking lot study that assessed the removal of B. atrophaeus spores using a garden hose and power washer and different water solutions. The information is intended for the emergency response community including EPA's Homeland Security enterprise. Across all treatment conditions, 3.7 – 6.4 log10 CFU were recovered in the runoff water, and 0.15%-23% of spores were removed from the surface of the parking lot. Pressure washing removed more spores than the garden hose, and for both types of washing methods, the first pass removed more spores than the subsequent passes. The Instant Ocean® and Tween 20 wash aids were found to significantly increase the percentage of spore removal when using the pressure washer. These results may be used to develop remediation strategies for urban areas contaminated by a bioterrorism agent or particulate contamination.

Description:

This publication will provide data useful for predicting the efficacy of wash-down methods in an outdoor urban environment. Wash-down methods may be deployed to reduce contaminant concentrations on buildings, sidewalks, vegetation, and roadways. Understanding the effectiveness of this approach over typical urban surfaces, using available infrastructure and equipment will help responders quickly and effectively respond to wide-area outdoor urban contamination incidents. Food grade surfactants, ionic solutions, and pressure driven water spray systems will be evaluated for their effectiveness at removing spores. The publication details an outdoor experiment washing spores from an asphalt parking lot under various flow and wash aid conditions.

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