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Safety Precautions and Operating Procedures in an (A)BSL-4 Laboratory: 3. Aerobiology

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Source reduction in an anthrax-contaminated mail facility.

Dorothy A Canter¹, Thomas J Sgroi, Laurel O'Connor

¹Dorothy Canter Consulting LLC , Bethesda, Maryland, USA.

Biosecurity and Bioterrorism : Biodefense Strategy, Practice, and Science

|December 24, 2009

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Source reduction, a key step in building decontamination after Bacillus anthracis events, involves removing and treating items. This process, including waste disposal, was critical for decontaminating the Department of State facility.

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Area of Science:

Environmental Science
Public Health
Biosecurity

Background:

The 2001 anthrax attacks necessitated extensive decontamination of affected facilities.
Source reduction is a crucial preliminary step in large-scale building remediation, involving item removal and surface pretreatment.
Effective waste disposal strategies are integral to the entire decontamination process.

Purpose of the Study:

To detail the source reduction and waste disposal activities implemented at the Department of State (DoS) Diplomatic Pouch and Mail Facility (SA-32).
To document the methods used for decontaminating materials and surfaces within the facility.
To provide insights into the timeline and costs associated with such remediation efforts.

Main Methods:

Removal of nearly all materials from the facility prior to vaporized hydrogen peroxide fumigation.
Categorization of removed materials into essential, nonessential recyclable, and nonessential non-recyclable items.
Application of five distinct decontamination technologies to removed materials and pretreatment/fumigation of fixed surfaces.
Implementation of environmental sampling for quality assurance throughout the source reduction phase.

Main Results:

The source reduction phase at the SA-32 facility lasted approximately 9 months.
The total cost for the source reduction process was approximately $4.3 million.
The comprehensive remediation project spanned about 16 months and incurred a total cost of $8.6 million.

Conclusions:

Source reduction and meticulous waste disposal are vital components of effective bioterrorism response and building decontamination.
The described methods demonstrate a systematic approach to managing contaminated materials and facilities.
The SA-32 remediation highlights the significant time and financial investment required for large-scale decontamination operations.