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Water Rinses and Their Impact on Decontamination Efficacies of Surfaces Contaminated with Chemical Warfare Agent Simulants
Citation:
Oudejans, L., B. Wyrzykowska-Ceradini, E. Morris, AND A. Korff. Water Rinses and Their Impact on Decontamination Efficacies of Surfaces Contaminated with Chemical Warfare Agent Simulants. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/600/R-20/157, 2020.
Impact/Purpose:
In the event of a chemical release incident involving chemical warfare agents (CWAs), surfaces may become contaminated with CWAs that require decontamination through degradation of the agent. Current decontamination approaches include a pre-rinse step with detergent and water, especially when a surface is dirty, prior to application of the actual decontaminant. This study assessed the impact of this pre-rinse step, as well as a prost-decon rinse on overall decontamination efficacy as well as the impact on the generated liquid wastes. The results of this research will provide the EPA response community as well as other Federal, State, Tribal and Local agencies with technical information on implementation of multi-step decontamination approaches, including physical removal of excessive liquids, and the need to collect these liquid wastes which may contain unreacted chemicals.
Description:
This report assesses the impact of pre- and post decontamination water rinses on the overall decontamination efficacy of a hydrogen peroxide-based decontamination product for the cleaning of clean or grimed surfaces that are contaminated with chemical warfare agent simulants. The study also investigates the presence of these simulants in the liquid runoff from these materials.