U'S' Environmental Protection Agency National Decontamination Team NDT

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U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyNational
Decontamination Team (NDT)

• Resources, progress, and the future.

Environmental Protection Agency Office of Solid
Waste and Emergency Response Office of Emergency
Management National Decontamination Team
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NDT is an organizationwithin EPA
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NDTs Mission

• NDT is a scientific and technical resource to
  coordinate, communicate and deliver
  decontamination expertise to local, state,
  national and international agencies.
• NDT supports and responds to terrorist events,
  catastrophic industrial accidents, and natural
  disasters.
• NDT provides a unique combination of skills for
  planning, research, policy development,
  implementing decontamination to protect human
  health, the environment, and national security.

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NDT Objectives

• Ensure safety of responders
• Minimize impact to the public
• Reduce recovery time
• Reduce or eliminate long-term risks
• Minimize costs

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Who we are

• National Decontamination Team (NDT) is a team of
  technical specialists who
• provide decontamination expertise related to
  biological, chemical, and radiological (CBR)
  agents
• identify technologies to decontaminate buildings,
  building contents, agriculture, and public
  infrastructure

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NDT technical specialties

• Engineering
• Structural
• HVAC
• Nuclear
• Industrial Hygiene
• Hazardous Shipping and Disposal

• Biochemistry
• Microbiology
• Analytical Chemistry
• Health Physics
• Toxicology
• Medical Doctors

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NDT maintains a fleet of response vehicles
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and emergency response equipment
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at its Erlanger, Kentuckyresponse facility
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NDT has a field-deployable robot to monitor
hazardous environments
Hazardous Environment Robotic Observer HERO
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NDT is developing mobile laboratories Portable
High-throughput Integrated Laboratory Information
Systems (PHILIS)
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NDT has even developed an airborne chemical
surveillance unit
Airborne Spectral Photometric Environmental
Collection Technology (ASPECT)
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ASPECT Deployments and Responses
ASPECT Statistics 41 Emergency Responses 6 DHS
SEAR Deployments 9 DHS NSSE Deployments 4
FEMA Activations 12 Special Projects
LEGEND Responses Deployments Special Projects
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Activating an Emergency Response

• Responders can activate EPAs emergency response
  community by contacting the National Response
  Center
• 800 424 8802
• Calls to the National Response Center will
  activate the Federal government's response

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Mission Provide resources

• Web-based resources
• Online portfolio of decontamination (decon)
  methods for select chemical, biological, and
  radiological (CBR) agents
• U.S. EPA Emergency Management Portal Website
  http//portal.epa.gov

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Mission Training

• An important part of NDTs mission is training.
  NDT participates in a number of training and
  emergency simulation exercises, including
• Department of Homeland Security Top Officials
  (TOPOFF) 4 Exercise
• Spills of National Significance (SONS) Exercise
• Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Decontamination
  Training

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TOPOFF 4 Training Exercise simulation
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Mission Technical Assistance

• In addition to training for hypothetical
  incidents, NDT responds to actual sites with
  non-traditional contaminants. In 2007, NDT
  participated in
• Helena Chemical Removal Action
• Anthrax Incidents in Danbury, CT and NYC
• Others

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Structural integrity inspection of roof at Helena
Chemical site
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Collecting samples at Danbury Anthrax site
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Summary

• EPA established NDT to provide equipment,
  resources, training, and technical assistance for
  biological, chemical, and radiological incidents.
  

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EPAs 10 Regions
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EPA 24-hr Emergency Contact
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NDT Office [phone])NDT 24-HR Beeper (800)
329-1841
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Portable High-throughputIntegrated Laboratory
Identification System (PHILIS)

• Mobile laboratory system capable of preparing and
  analyzing over one hundred samples daily for
  CWAs and TICs. Soil, water, wipe and air
  samples.
• Goal rapid deployment, up and running within 6
  hours of setup, generator powered, 4 day supplies
• To be deployed at 3 locations NJ, KY and CO
• NJ PHILIS is currently being setup
• KY PHILIS (PHILBERT) to be delivered end of March
• CO PHILIS to be setup in 2008
• PHILIS will use EPA modified methods for CWA
  analysis as per SAM document

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NJ PHILIS Mobile Lab
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KY PHILIS Mobile Lab
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CO PHILIS Mobile Lab
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Standardized Analytical Methods for
Environmental Restoration following Homeland
Security Events
SAM v 3.1 undergoing validation for CWAs and
their breakdown products. Compilation of existing
methods EPA NIOSH ASTM CDC
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SAM v 3.1

• Chemical Methods
• 122 analytes, 5 matrices
• Pathogen Methods
• 36 analytes (6 BSL-4 Agents), 4 matrices, 2 types
  (identification and viability)
• Radiochemical Methods
• 18 analytes, 5 matrices, (gross and confirmatory)
• Biotoxin Methods
• 17 analytes, 5 matrices
• http//www.epa.gov/nhsrc/pubs/reportSAM030107.pdf

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Companion Sample Collection Information Document
(CSCID)

• Standard sample collection methods to accompany
  the SAM document
• Currently under review
• Completed for various agents, sampling media and
  sample matrices
• Chemical, Radiochemical, Pathogens and Biotoxins
  Agents
• Air, Aqueous/Liquid, Drinking Water, Non-aqueous
  Liquid, Organic Solids, Solid, Soil and Wipe
  matrices

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Airborne Spectral Photometric Environmental
Collection Technology

• AeroCommander Platform
• Base of Operation Waxahachie, Texas
• IFR/GPS Equipped
• High Quality Filtered Power
• STC Camera Holes in the floor
• Crew Two Pilots, One Operator, All
  Commercial/ATP Rated
• Speeds
• Data Collection at 100 kts
• Cruise at 180 200 kts
• Range/Aloft Time
• Range 1100 NM
• Aloft Time 4 6 hours
• Service Altitude
• Data Collection at 2000 Ft AGL
• Cruise at 20000 Ft (with Supplemental Oxygen)

• IR Line Scanner
• Hi-speed FTIR spectrometer
• Gamma spectrometer
• Digital Imager
• All data GPS referenced

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ASPECT Passive IR Line Scanner Concept
Radiance Difference Between Background Ground
Surface and Gas Permits Classes of Compounds to
be Imaged
Radiance of Gas
Ground Surface Radiance
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Chemical Response Products
Base Map
Aerial Image
IR Plume Image
Chemical ID Information
Radiological Spectra
A single pass of the aircraft produces a data set
that permits mapping, aerial photography,
Infrared imaging, chemical identification and
radiological detection. These products can be
generated in under 3 minutes and forwarded to the
Incident Commander.
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ASPECT

• ASPECT is the Nations ONLY 24/7 airborne
  emergency response chemical/radiological plume
  mapping.
• ASPECT is activated by a phone request through
  respective EPA emergency response regional
  offices, EPA OSC,FEMA.
• The Los Alamos National Laboratory, Chemistry
  Division provides technical support.
• Tim Curry (POC) 816-718-4281
• Mark Thomas (POC) 816-718-4271

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• Questions
• Praise
• Gratitudities