Remediation of<i>Bacillus anthracis</i>Contamination in the U.S. Department of Justice Mail Facility

Canter, Dorothy A.; Gunning, Dawn; Rodgers, Pamela A.; O'Connor, Laurel; Traunero, Carol; Kempter, Carlton J.

doi:10.1089/bsp.2005.3.119

Cited by 81 publications

(81 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…Furthermore, aqueous ClO 2 is commonly used for the treatment of drinking water and for the control of mold in libraries (Southwell, 2002;WeaverMeyers et al, 1998). Following the 9-11 attacks in the USA, ClO 2 gas was used to treat the Bacillus anthracis spores detected in certain government buildings and on the exterior of mail packages addressed to a small number of government institutions (EPA, 2006;Canter et al, 2005). Finally, various studies have demonstrated the efficiency of ClO 2 in deactivating Bacillus endospores (surrogates for B. anthracis spores) (Buttner et al, 2001;Cortezzo et al, 2004;Young and Setlow, 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Disinfection efficiency of chlorine dioxide gas in student cafeterias in Taiwan

Hsu

Huang

2012

Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association

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In Taiwan, the food and drink requirements of students and faculty members are met by student cafeterias. The air quality within these cafeterias should satisfy the guidelines laid down by the Taiwan Environmental Protection Agency (Taiwan EPA). Accordingly, this study performed an experimental investigation into the efficiency of two different gaseous chlorine dioxide (ClO 2 ) treatments in disinfecting a local student cafeteria, namely a single, one-off application and a twice-daily application. In both cases, the ClO 2 was applied using strategically placed aerosol devices. The air quality before and after disinfection was evaluated by measuring the bioaerosol levels of bacteria and fungi. Moreover, a stepwise discriminant analysis method was applied for predicting the residual concentrations of bacteria and fungi, as a function of the environmental parameters and the ClO 2 concentration. The experimental results showed that the average background levels of bacteria and fungi prior to ClO 2 disinfection were 972.5 AE 623.6 and 1534.1 AE 631.8 colony-forming units (CFU)/m 3 , respectively. A single ClO 2 application was found to reduce the bacterial and fungal concentration levels by as much as 65% and 30%, respectively. By contrast, a twice-daily ClO 2 application was found to reduce the bacterial and fungal concentration levels by as much as 74% and 38%, respectively. The statistical analysis results showed that the residual bacterial concentration level was determined primarily by the number of individuals present in the cafeteria, the temperature, and the ClO 2 concentration, whereas the residual fungal concentration level was determined mainly by the temperature, the total number of suspended particles, and the ClO 2 concentration. Thus, the integrated results suggest that the air quality guidelines prescribed by the Taiwan EPA for student cafeteria can best be achieved by applying ClO 2 twice daily using an appropriate deployment of aerosol devices.Implications: ClO 2 gas can destroy all manner of microorganisms, including bacteria, spores, fungi, viruses, and even protozoans, in indoor environments. Moreover, it is popularly known that bioaerosols are able to grow and propagate on a wide variety of building materials and indoor surfaces. Thus, through optimal ClO 2 disinfection methodology, the indoor microbial contaminants can be decreased and the residual concentrations of bacteria and fungi as a function of the environmental parameters and the ClO 2 concentration can be predicted via some statistical techniques.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Disinfection efficiency of chlorine dioxide gas in student cafeterias in Taiwan

Hsu

Huang

2012

Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association

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“…This was used to decontaminate mail sorting machines. Paraformaldehyde has been used in the past to decontaminate biosafety cabinets (Canter et al, 2005).…”

Section: Decontamination Methods: Othersmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Aqueous ClO 2 was also used on used on nonporous surfaces in two mail sorting machines (Canter et al, 2005). The of Bacillus subtilis, and the fungus Penicillium citrinum.…”

Section: Chlorine Dioxide Gas Was Used In the Cleanup Of Building Intmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Other studies have shown 1.55 to 1.92 log kill rates on Bacillus subtilis on untreated gypsum wall board for commercially available bleach as well as for chlorine dioxide at 500 ppm (Wagner et al, 2008). Aqueous ClO 2 was also used on nonporous surfaces in two mail sorting machines (Canter et al, 2005). Despite its efficacy, cleaning with bleach, as in the mail room facilities, should be done sparingly because it is highly damaging to many materials (Orlusky, 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Decontamination of Bioaerosols within Engineering Tolerances of Aircraft Materials

Frazey¹,

Reynolds²

2012

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DECONTAMINATION OF BIOAEROSOLS WITHIN ENGINEERING TOLERANCES OF AIRCRAFT MATERIALSBacillus anthracis spores are generally considered the most difficult biological agents to decontaminate or inactivate. Inactivation of these spores is further complicated on aircraft because engineering specifications do not allow for chemical disinfectants to be used. Aircraft, however, must meet strict engineering specifications, requiring extended storage at temperatures greater than 185° F at 100% relative humidity (RH). Heat and humidity near these levels have been tested to determine if they can inactivate spores; however, these studies have only evaluated spores in high concentrations (10 6 spores) on aluminum coupons. This dissertation research was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of high heat and humidity on Bacillus atrophaeus subsp globigii (BG) spores, a simulant commonly used for Bacillus anthracis, when delivered via three different methods onto two different materials.In Chapter 2, an innovative bioaerosol deposition chamber design and testing is described. The test chamber was designed to deposit Bacillus atrophaeus subsp globigii (BG) spores onto coupons modeling real aircraft components. Deposition equations were derived to model the spore deposition. Initial deposition tests with fluorescent particles were inconclusive because the limit of quantification could not be reached; therefore, the BG spores were used to test deposition. Initial tests demonstrated the parameters that could be manipulated throughout the experiments to control the spore deposition. After these were evaluated, four final tests were completed to perform more in-depth statistical analysis. The coefficients of variation for these tests were within acceptable ranges (all were 25.5% or less). Ryan-Joiner tests were performed iii on the data and showed that 2 of the 4 tests displayed a lognormal distribution, while the other 2 tests were inconclusive. All data was therefore treated as a lognormal distribution. Contour plots were then constructed to determine if a discernible pattern was present. While these contour plots showed a somewhat even dispersion, there were no discernible patterns.Additionally, the plots showed a wide range of spore deposition throughout the four tests.Finally, the equations derived for spore deposition were validated. The data showed that 8.67%up to 31.0% (average of 20.25%) of the spores modeled could actually deposit and be recovered through culture methods. These losses could have occurred during the nebulization through inactivation or clumping after the spores were aerosolized. Regardless, this showed that the equations could be used after accounting for these losses. The study demonstrated that the test chamber can be used for spore depositions with the caveat that future studies include an appropriate control coupon next to each sample.In Chapter 3, decontamination of aluminum coupons was evaluated using the BG spores inoculated in three different methods-high direct inoculation (10 6 spores per c...

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“…14,15 Under a crisis exemption from EPA, ClO 2 gas was used to treat Bacillus anthracis spores in 2001 and 2002 in contaminated buildings and the exterior of mail packages. 16,17 Additional studies have been completed on the efficiency of ClO 2 for inactivation of Bacillus endospores, as surrogates for B. anthracis spores. 18 -21 Wilson and associates 22 conducted a laboratory study investigating the effect of ClO 2 gas on the colonies of four fungal species (Chaetomium globosum, Cladosporium cladosporioides, Penicillium chrysogenum, and Stachybotrys chartarum), ascospores (C. globosum), and mycotoxins produced by S. chartarum.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of Gaseous Chlorine Dioxide on Indoor Microbial Contaminants

Burton

Adhikari

Iossifova

et al. 2008

Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association

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Traditional and modern techniques for bioaerosol enumeration were used to evaluate the relative efficiency of gaseous chlorine dioxide (ClO 2 ) in reducing the indoor microbial contamination under field and laboratory conditions. The field study was performed in a highly microbially contaminated house, which had had an undetected roof leak for an extended period of time and exhibited large areas of visible microbial growth. Air concentrations of culturable fungi and bacteria, total fungi determined by microscopic count and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays, endotoxin, and (133)-␤-D-glucan were determined before and after the house was tented and treated with ClO 2. The laboratory study was designed to evaluate the efficiency of ClO 2 treatment against known concentrations of spores of Aspergillus versicolor and Stachybotrys chartarum on filter paper (surrogate for surface treatment). These species are commonly found in damp indoor environments and were detected in the field study. Upon analysis of the environmental data from the treated house, it was found that the culturable bacteria and fungi as well as total count of fungi (as determined by microscopic count and PCR) were decreased at least 85% after the ClO 2 application. However, microscopic analyses of tape samples collected from surfaces after treatment showed that the fungal structures were still present on surfaces. There was no statistically significant change in airborne endotoxin and (133)-␤-D-glucan concentration in the field study. The laboratory study supported these results and showed a nonsignificant increase in the concentration of (133)-␤-D-glucan after ClO 2 treatment.

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Remediation ofBacillus anthracisContamination in the U.S. Department of Justice Mail Facility

Cited by 81 publications

References 4 publications

Disinfection efficiency of chlorine dioxide gas in student cafeterias in Taiwan

Disinfection efficiency of chlorine dioxide gas in student cafeterias in Taiwan

Decontamination of Bioaerosols within Engineering Tolerances of Aircraft Materials

Effect of Gaseous Chlorine Dioxide on Indoor Microbial Contaminants

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