You are here:
Field Application of Emerging Composite Sampling Methods
Citation:
Lee, S., W. Calfee, J. Archer, T. Boe, L. Mickelsen, AND D. Hamilton. Field Application of Emerging Composite Sampling Methods. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/600/R-17/212, 2017.
Impact/Purpose:
A release of hazardous biological material in an urban area would require decontamination of a wide range of surfaces to protect the public. EPA is responsible for protecting human health and the environment from such contaminated areas. The study discussed in this report tested the effectiveness of aggressive air (AA) sampling, robotic floor cleaner (RFC), and wet vacuum composite methods for sampling spores from a subway platform and rail surfaces. Specifically, this study consisted of a field sampling exercise and laboratory experiments that are discussed separately in this report. The field sampling exercise was designed to evaluate the performance of these composite sampling methods for post-decontamination sampling and sampling with the presence of multiple contamination hot spots. The separate laboratory experiments evaluated AA sampling operational parameters and efficacy under controlled conditions. The study showed that the RFC and wet vacuum sample processing procedures require improvements in environments with dusty surfaces. This study also showed that AA sampling methods require further development for large volumes of air in dusty environments to avoid the overloading of filters. This report provides specific recommendations, including the operational limitations of the sampling methods studied and recommendations for improving these methods based on input by operators and observers of the field sampling exercise and on the results of this study
Description:
Report