Citation:

Gallardo, Vincente, D. Schupp, J. Heckman, R. Krishnan, AND E. Rice. Inactivation of Bacillus Spores in Wash Waters Using Dilute Chlorine Bleach Solutions at Different Temperatures and pH Levels. WATER ENVIRONMENT RESEARCH. Water Environment Federation, Alexandria, VA, , 1-36, (2017).

Impact/Purpose:

In the last fifteen years a number of buildings have been intentionally or accidentally contaminated with Bacillus anthracis (B. anthracis) spores. During the remediation following these events, disinfectant solutions were often used to wash equipment and building surfaces that may have contained viable B. anthracis spores. In addition, personnel performing the remediation activities were often washed down with cleaning solutions prior to removing personal protective equipment (PPE). In typical operations, the wash water generated from these decontamination processes was collected in containers prior to disposal. Because of the possibility of this water containing B. anthracis spores, disposal often posed a challenge. In this study, inactivation of Bacillus globigii spores in wash water were studied to simulate chlorine inactivation of Bacillus anthracis spores in water generated during biological cleanup. Eight waters were studied, with six containing detergent. Results across different waters showed decreasing inactivation with increasing pH. Inactivation did not appear to be influenced by chemical oxygen demand, suspended solids, turbidity, or dissolved solids.

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Journal Article

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