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Operational Test and Evaluation of Chemical Remediation Activities
Citation:
Archer, J., T. Boe, A. Busher, J. Justice, Larry Kaelin, P. Lemieux, K. McConkey, L. Oudejans, S. Serre, AND S. Willison. Operational Test and Evaluation of Chemical Remediation Activities. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/600/R-24/177, 2024.
Impact/Purpose:
Chemical warfare agents (CWA) remain a threat to the United States and abroad. Full-scale exercises with proper CWA simulants are intended to enhance the ability to respond and recover. The Operational Testing and Evaluation of Chemical Remediation Activities (OTECRA) field study was conducted to assess bench and pilot scale methods at the full field scale. The test site consisted of an indoor environment with mock offices and studio apartment. The field study included pre-decontamination sampling, decontamination, and post-decontamination sampling with waste and data management conducted throughout the study. The results of this field study will inform the EPA response community as well as other Federal, State, Tribal and Local agencies on the ability to respond to and recover from a CWA incident.
Description:
This report describes the outcomes from the full-scale Operational Test and Evaluation of Chemical Remediation Activities (OTECRA) field study. OTECRA was conducted to operationally test and evaluate current capabilities to remediate an indoor environment following a simulated chemical warfare agent (CWA) release. This full-scale project encompassed all activities from the point in time where a contaminated site would have been released to initiate remediation following a forensic investigation through environmental remediation activities until the site was deemed safe for reoccupancy. The project scenario involved the intentional release of a highly toxic chemical of concern with a sufficiently high persistence in the (indoor) environment that remediation steps were required to reach established clearance levels for reoccupancy. The study relied on the use of a chemical surrogate (an organophosphorus pesticide, malathion) with similar physical and chemical properties to a highly persistent CWA, but significantly lower toxicity. The main goal of this project was to assess bench- and pilot-scale methods and technologies developed under EPA’s Homeland Security Research Program (HSRP) at the full-scale level and in a holistic manner. The OTECRA field study was held from October 18 through November 8, 2022, at the Muscatatuck Urban Training Center (MUTC) near Butlerville, Indiana, USA. This full-scale operational test enhanced the Nation’s ability to prepare for, respond to, and recover from a chemical agent release in an indoor setting by evaluating sampling and decontamination methodologies and their performance. The pre-decontamination sampling rounds provided accurate measurements on the level of contamination in the building. Both rounds of decontamination with different solutions resulted in residual malathion concentrations on nonporous materials that were below the health-based screening levels for malathion. Decontaminated porous and permeable materials had higher concentrations of malathion remaining and became part of the waste stream. This full-scale study identified gaps that will require further research while the lessons learned from the OTECRA field study will provide further room for improvement in the execution of the next full-scale study.