Research to Inform Decontamination Strategies for Fentanyl-Contaminated Sites
Citation:
Oudejans, L., M. Magnuson, J. Justice, AND L. Kaelin. Research to Inform Decontamination Strategies for Fentanyl-Contaminated Sites. 2023 US EPA International Decontamination research and development Conference, Charleston, SC, December 05 - 07, 2023.
Impact/Purpose:
Illicit fentanyl activities create exposure risks to law enforcement, first responders, and remediation contractors. Remediation operations will benefit from improved knowledge on in situ neutralization options of fentanyl and its analogs on building materials. This presentation will provide an overview of EPA’s role in a fentanyl response and demonstrate sampling and decontamination approaches based on results from research that was initiated to fill select gaps identified during the development of EPA’s Fentanyl Fact Sheet for OSCs. The results of this research will inform the emergency managers as well as other Federal, State, Tribal and Local agencies on the means to decontaminate, and clear for re-occupancy indoor environments contaminated with fentanyl.
Description:
Illicit fentanyl activities can lead to complex contamination incidents and create exposure risks to law enforcement, emergency responders, remediation contractors, and the public. The objective of this presentation is to provide an overview of conducted research to assist in technical support requests from local and state entities to US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) related to fentanyl responses across the country. It will contain results from research that was initiated to fill select gaps identified during the development of EPA’s Fact Sheet for On-Scene Coordinators: Fentanyl and Fentanyl Analogues. Decontamination operations will benefit from in situ degradation options for fentanyl and its analogues on building materials. Current remediation knowledge is limited to the core chemistries of several oxidizers such as hydrogen peroxide, peracetic acid or hypochlorite (bleach). EPA research efforts produced data on the efficacy of several decontamination options for building materials as well as protective gear/PPE. These data include results from bench-scale decontamination tests using nonporous contaminated surface materials and decontaminants that were applied by spray application under real-world conditions.