Developing Health-Based Pre-Planning Clearance Goals for Airport Remediation Following a Chemical Terrorist Attack: Decision Criteria for Multipathway Exposure Routes

Abstract

In the event of a chemical terrorist attack on a transportation hub, post-event remediation and restoration activities necessary to attain unrestricted facility re-use and re-entry could require hours to multiple days. While timeframes are dependent on numerous variables, a primary controlling factor is the level of pre-planning and decision-making completed prior to chemical release. What follows is the second of a two-part analysis identifying key considerations, critical information and decision criteria to facilitate post-attack and post-decontamination consequence management activities. Decision criteria analysis presented here provides first-time, open-literature documentation of multi-pathway, health-based remediation exposure guidelines for selected toxic industrial compounds, chemical warfare agents, and agent degradation products for pre-planning application in anticipation of a chemical terrorist attack. Guideline values are provided for inhalation and direct ocular vapor exposure routes as well as percutaneous vapor, surface contact, and ingestion. Target populations include various employees as well as transit passengers. This work has been performed as a national case study conducted in partnership with the Los Angeles International Airport and The Bradley International Terminal. All recommended guidelines have been selected for consistency with airport scenario release parameters of a one-time, short-duration, finite airborne release from a single source followed by compound-specific decontamination.

Hospital Preparedness Plans for Chemical Incidents and Threats: A Systematic Review

“…Such a contingent plan is required to ensure the better outcome of chemical incidents. 22,23,32 However, a major inconsistency in preparedness for chemical incidents among emergency departments in North West England and some other countries is deficiencies in planning, facilities, equipment, and training. Thus, clear and comprehensive national guidelines are still required to address these problems, and this inconsistency will remain until setting and enforcing the standards.…”

“…21,22,23 A disaster management plan is considered as a set of procedures, policies, interaction patterns, roles, and contingencies that are developed and established during a preparedness phase and then implemented to serve as the system for managing the response to major incidents. 22,23 In general, hospitals should be prepared to take basic measures to improve their preparedness to cope with the challenges posed by disasters, especially chemical incidents and disasters. To the best of our knowledge, no systematic review has been made yet to examine hospital preparedness plans against chemical incidents and disasters.…”

Analysis of finite dose dermal absorption data: Implications for dermal exposure assessment

“…In the United States, the EPA guidance for Superfund remediation 3 as well as the Office of Pesticide Programs, 2 , 4 adopt this approach. Additionally, the US Army, 5 , 6 the Department of Homeland Security, 7 and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health 8 have incorporated fractional absorption in dermal risk assessment strategies. In Europe, the European Commission's technical guidance for risk assessment 9 emphasizes the primacy of fractional absorption for dermal risk assessment.…”

Commentary on Watsonet al.'s Articles on Airport Remediation Following a Chemical Terrorist Attack

“…It was an honor to be associated in the review process with the work done by Dr. Watson and co-authors (2011a , b ) on the first-time, open-literature documentation of multi-pathway, health-based remediation exposure guidelines for toxic industrial compounds and chemical warfare agents in preparation for a terrorist attack. Such preliminary planning is vital to the country's security.…”

“…This coordination of a new ( Watson et al , 2011a , b ) investigation with recently published chemical, behavioral, and remediation data allowed for combining known parameters relative to early planning, toxicity and remediation decisions, and assigning priorities that can be applied to other vulnerable sites and at-risk populations in order to establish a valuable tool in implementing the safety process.…”