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Full-scale Testing of a Simulated Chemical Warfare Agent Contamination Response
Citation:
Oudejans, L., S. Serre, J. Archer, T. Boe, J. Justice, L. Kaelin, AND S. Willison. Full-scale Testing of a Simulated Chemical Warfare Agent Contamination Response. 2023 US EPA Decontamination Research and Development Conference, Charleston, SC, December 05 - 07, 2023.
Impact/Purpose:
Chemical warfare agents (CWA) remain a threat to the United States and abroad. Full-scale exercises with proper CWA simulants are intended to enhance the ability to respond and recover. The Operational Testing and Evaluation of Chemical Remediation Activities (OTECRA) field study was conducted to assess bench and pilot scale methods at the full field scale. The test site consisted of an indoor environment with mock offices and studio apartment. The field study included pre-decontamination sampling, decontamination, and post-decontamination sampling with waste and data management conducted throughout the study. The results of this field study will inform the EPA response community as well as other Federal, State, Tribal and Local agencies on the ability to respond to and recover from a CWA incident.
Description:
The EPA is enhancing the nation’s ability to respond to and recover from a chemical warfare agent (CWA) incident through research to develop environmental countermeasures and response exercises/training. Recently, researchers and responders were brought together to conduct the Operational Testing and Evaluation of Chemical Remediation Activities (OTECRA) field study. Activities included an initial contamination event, pre-decontamination sampling, decontamination, post-decontamination sampling, with waste and data management conducted throughout the exercise. Malathion was applied as a CWA simulant across the floor and walls. Sampling teams conducted pre-decontamination sampling to establish the concentration of malathion on contaminated surfaces. Sampling was conducted with cotton gauze wipes and then analyzed on-site by EPA’s Portable High-throughput Integrated Laboratory Identification System (PHILIS). Larger floor samples were collected using a wet-vacuum composite sampling approach. Once decontamination of the building interior was finished, sampling teams conducted post-decontamination sampling. Two rounds of testing were conducted during the field study to evaluate different decontamination approaches. For the first round, Decon7, an activated hydrogen peroxide containing product, was applied using a low-pressure spraying system. The second round of testing involved the spraying of undiluted bleach. Prior to leaving the exclusion zone, responders and equipment were decontaminated to minimize the potential for cross contamination and introduction of the contaminant to areas outside the exclusion zone. Samples throughout the exercise were closely managed with the use of a QR code attached to each container that was scanned in the field and lab. Electronic tablets were used by samplers to scan the ID and input information into ESRI’s Field Maps application on collection method, sample type, sample matrices, start and end times, observations, and photographs of the sample location. All waste generated during OTECRA was contained, segregated, and staged for characterization, sampling, and disposal. Information from sampling and analysis on how well the decontaminant performed was used to develop waste acceptance criteria and material disposal options. Testing remediation activities in a realistic scenario provides greater confidence in the success of an actual remediation performance.