HSPD-7 Critical Infrastructure Identification, Prioritization and Protection: designates EPA as the sector-specific lead agency for critical water infrastructure safety and security HSPD-9 Defense of US Agriculture and Food: directs EPA to develop a full- coordinated surveillance and monitoring program to provide early detection. Also requires EPA to develop nationwide lab network to support the routine monitoring and response requirements HSPD-10 Biodefense in the 21st Century (classified): reaffirms EPA’s role adding a clear directive for the Agency’s lead in decon efforts EPA Homeland Security Authorities Bioterrorism Act of 2002 Homeland Security Act of 2002 Agency Legacy Authorities

How do we know if an attack has occurred? How do minimize its impact? How do we clean up the contaminated area? How do we dispose of the contaminated material? How do we determine protective cleanup levels? How can we determine the effectiveness of homeland security technologies? PROTECTING OUR COUNTRY THROUGH RESEARCH National Homeland Security Research Center Critical Questions

PROTECTING OUR COUNTRY THROUGH RESEARCH National Homeland Security Research Center Water - Indoor & Outdoor Environments Chemical - Biological – Radiological Targeted at DetectionContainment Decon Disposal RiskTTEP SCOPE Research Programs

Challenges – Assessing Risk Chemical Current risk assessment methods exist Limited information on chemical warfare agents - the contaminants and the exposure scenarios are unique Problem: How do we deal with: –High doses of usual agents (Cl) –Low &/or high doses of unusual agents (Sarin) Need to understand more about CWA’s toxicity, transport and fate to develop reasonable cleanup targets (what is acceptable, affordable, and protective?) Need to develop: -Animal data, computational toxicology, Quantitative Structural Activity Relationships -Extrapolation methods (LD50, military, surrogates) to human exposures PROTECTING OUR COUNTRY THROUGH RESEARCH National Homeland Security Research Center

Challenges – Assessing Risk Biological Current risk assessment methods do not exist Need to understand more about toxicity, infectivity, transport and fate to develop reasonable cleanup goals (what is acceptable, affordable, and protective?) Need to develop: Methods to assess risks to human health from microbial and biological warfare agents Cleanup targets and protective levels Mechanisms to communicate risks and consequences of exposure Exposure assessment tools PROTECTING OUR COUNTRY THROUGH RESEARCH National Homeland Security Research Center

Challenges – Building Lab Capability & Capacity Chemical Biological Lack of consistent methods to analyze environmental samples for chemical and biological contaminants. PROTECTING OUR COUNTRY THROUGH RESEARCH National Homeland Security Research Center

DetectionContainment Decon Disposal RiskTTEP Rapid and Reliable Detection of Contaminants Quantitative PCR for rapidly determining spore viability Combined laser technologies for monitoring air and surfaces Modified open path-fourier transform infrared method for chemicals Drinking water contaminant warning systems Standardized analytical methods (SAM) National exposure measurement center Health surveillance networks Triage screening of environmental samples Surface sampling methods Modeling threats to water distribution systems Sentinel animals eLRN

DetectionContainment Decon Disposal RiskTTEP Risk Assessment and Risk Communication Microbial Risk Assessment Framework for Biological Contamination Incidents Data Dictionary (Chemical Toxicity database) Evaluation of novel methods to predict health and risk information in the absence of data Development of chemical and biological action and cleanup levels Exposure assessment studies from water Tools for communicating risk concerns Emergency Consequence Assessment Tool (ECAT) Toxicity Assessment Toxicity Assessment Exposure Assessment Exposure Assessment Risk Management Risk Management Risk Characterization Risk Characterization Threat ID POC: Cindy Sonich-Mullin

DetectionContainment Decon Disposal RiskTTEP Containment and Impact Mitigation Emissions, Transport, and Fate models for Air Releases Design and evaluation of residential and large-building safe havens Drinking water distribution system modeling of contaminant events Guides for Managing contaminant events Building retrofitting to increase protection from chem/bio attack Fate of CBNR agents in water, air, and surfaces HVAC design to minimize contaminant spread

DetectionContainment Decon Disposal RiskTTEP Decontamination and Treatment Studies to optimize chemical decon methods Engineering and economic analysis of decon options Methods for decon of high-value materials Lessons learned from building decon experiences Resource document for decon of water appliances Inactivation studies for biological contaminants in water Effectiveness of chlorine against bacterial agents in water Drinking water treatability database

DetectionContainment Decon Disposal RiskTTEP Disposal of Contaminated Materials Studies of thermal destruction of contaminant agents Safe landfilling of decon waste assessments Investigation of migration of bioagents from landfills Web-based disposal decision support tool Technical resource manual for the protection of decon personnel Disposal workshops

DetectionContainment Decon Disposal RiskTTEP Technology Testing and Evaluation Program Immunoassay test kits for pathogens and biotoxins Multi-parameter water quality probes Portable cyanide analyzers Portable water analyzer/test kits Rapid toxicity testing system PCR technologies Reverse osmosis point-of-use device Decontamination wastewater treatment

For more information, visit Andy Avel National Homeland Security Research Center U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (Cincinnati, OH 45268) ORNL Field Office PROTECTING OUR COUNTRY THROUGH RESEARCH National Homeland Security Research Center