Efficacy and Compatibility of Decontamination Options for Sensitive Equipment-Related Materials Contaminated with Persistent Chemical Warfare Agents
Citation:
Oudejans, L. AND D. See. Efficacy and Compatibility of Decontamination Options for Sensitive Equipment-Related Materials Contaminated with Persistent Chemical Warfare Agents. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/600/R-19/075, 2019.
Impact/Purpose:
A release of chemical warfare agents VX or sulfur mustard (HD) will create an acute and significant exposure risk to the public as well as remediation contractors who would be tasked to cleanup a contaminated site. Such contaminated site may hold sensitive equipment which would be more difficult to decontaminate considering the need for no or very minimal material incompatibilities. Traditional decontamination solutions such as bleach or hydroxide salt containing products tend to be highly corrosive. This report describes the decontamination efficacy research that was conducted using three decontaminants that were selected based on their perceived high efficacy and good material compatibility. The results of this research will inform the EPA response community and other Federal, State, Tribal and Local agencies on decontamination options for sensitive equipment and should be considered as part of the remediation strategy to cleanup VX or HD contaminated sites.
Description:
Under U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Homeland Security Research Program (US EPA HSRP), the National Homeland Security Research Center conducts research necessary to identify methods and technologies that can be used for the decontamination of equipment and surfaces contaminated with chemical warfare agents. Typical decontamination approaches such as those using the chlorine oxidation approach can be efficacious in decontamination of chemical warfare agents (CWAs) but can also often be destructive and leave items or surfaces to which the approaches are applied damaged or deteriorated. Approaches for decontamination of CWAs from sensitive equipment (SE) items such as computer server systems or other electronic equipment have thus been identified as a critical knowledge gap, as SE is typically associated with high procurement costs and long lead times, and the integrity and usability of the equipment must be preserved following decontamination. This project aimed to address a knowledge gap associated with decontamination of CWAs from SE through identification and evaluation of technologies and/or methodologies that are efficacious in decontamination of CWAs from SE-related materials while maintaining material compatibility and preserving SE functionality.