Spray Decontamination of Vegetation with Sporicidal Liquids for the Inactivation of Bacillus anthracis Surrogate Spores and Phytotoxicity Assessment
Citation:
McDonald, S., T. Chamberlain, A. Touati, AND Joe Wood. Spray Decontamination of Vegetation with Sporicidal Liquids for the Inactivation of Bacillus anthracis Surrogate Spores and Phytotoxicity Assessment. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/600/R-22/051, 2022.
Impact/Purpose:
This report assesses decontamination options for vegetative materials that may become contaminated with Bacillus anthracis spores. Following a wide-area release of B. anthracis spores, outdoor areas and materials, including vegetation, may become contaminated with the biological agent.The findings from the study can be used to better plan and execute the cleanup of a US Coast Guard port/base, or any large outdoor urban area, following such a biological contamination incident. Decontamination of vegetative materials will be a challenge, due to the organic nature of vegetation and the potentially large and complex surface areas of foliage.
Description:
The Analysis for Coastal Operational Resiliency (AnCOR) program is an interagency collaboration between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the United States Coast Guard (USCG). The overall purpose of this multi-agency program is to develop and demonstrate capabilities and strategic guidelines to prepare the U.S. for a wide-area release of a biological agent, including mitigating effects on USCG facilities and assets. The study described in this report was conducted under the AnCOR program, with the goal of assessing decontamination options and their efficacy for vegetative materials contaminated with Bacillus anthracis spores. The study also evaluated the phytotoxicity of the decontaminants used in the study, i.e., impacts of the decontaminants on plant health and viability were examined. Decontamination efficacy tests were conducted with plants and plant material at bench and pilot scale using the benign surrogate Bacillus atrophaeus.