Cleaning Up the National Anthrax Attack

Solution

CSS brought together the top experts in Biosafety from NIH, CDC, private industry, Ft Dietrick and several universities to develop a plan. After much discussion and consideration of available technologies, the DOS Chem/BIO Work group selected the use of paraformaldehyde gas for decontamination of the diplomatic mail pouches. CSS developed a Site Environmental Health and Safety Plan to construct and use five on-site decontamination chambers, and obtained a Crisis Exemption Permit from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to allow the use of the gas. Gas chambers were constructed including dedicated electrical panels and controls. Precise gas contact time and neutralization was determined by conducting test runs, safety and health plans were developed, on-site personnel were hired and trained on entering contaminated spaces and donning protective gear and running decontamination chambers, quality-control methods using Bacillus subtilis var. niger indicator spore strips were established to verify 100% contamination kill, and an on-site laboratory for spore strip analysis was created.