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Right into the Danger Zone: Cleaning Up After Biological & Chemical Incidents
Citation:
Calfee, W., B. Kiessling, M. Magnuson, K. Maxwell, L. Oudejans, AND Jeff Szabo. Right into the Danger Zone: Cleaning Up After Biological & Chemical Incidents. To be Presented at National Association of County and City Health Officials Preparedness Summit, Atlanta, GA, April 24 - 27, 2023.
Impact/Purpose:
The purpose of this presentation is to share social considerations that might be important during a chemical or biological incident response. The presentation will spark discussion during a preparedness summit with county and city health officials.
Description:
The Town Hall will provide three different case studies that show how clearance goals developed by city and county health officials interact with characterization and sampling that occurs in response to cleaning up a biological and chemical incident. EPA will describe real-life events, such as the Burkholderia pseudomallei contamination in 2021, fentanyl contamination, and PFAS-contaminated water systems, where EPA worked with local responders to address cleanup concerns. This presentation will take participants through an interactive process of characterization, sampling, and clearance while asking questions such as experience on clearance groups and clearance sampling. The specific incidents will lead to a conversation about large-scale cleanups and how EPA has worked for the last two decades to leverage real-life experience and lab-research to prepare the Nation for wide-spread incidents.