"Decontamination Sciences Worldwide" Conference Report 30 March 2005 to 1 April 2005 by Dr. Gudrun Westermann DSc 2005 - Decontamination Sciences Congress 2005 London welcomed delegates to this year's Decontamination Sciences Congress with a cold drizzle. Spirits were high, nonetheless, because on opening the conference Gillian Sills, Chairman of the International Federation of Sterile Supply (IFSS), was able to welcome almost 500 delegates from 44 countries. On this occasion, the congress ...

77Isolator decontamination using chlorine dioxide gas 4/1/2005 Lorcheim, Paul Pharmaceutical Technology The use of isolation technology in the United States and Europe is beginning to show signs of widespread acceptance and growth. With the increased use of isolators for critical processes comes a demand for better and quicker decontamination methods. Fueling the growth of chlorine dioxide (CD) in the pharmaceutical and medical device industries are its properties as a true gas at ambient temperatures, its capacity to be unaffected by temperature variations and gradients, and its tight process consistency because concentrations can be precisely monitored and controlled. CD ... «Read the Full Article, Sign up today»

Affordable Chemical and Biological Detection Systems Key to Upgrading Building Security June 14, 2005 TMCnet on the Web PALO ALTO, Calif. --(Business Wire)-- June 14, 2005 -- The Tokyo subway Sarin gas attack and the recent anthrax scare in the United States has alerted security agencies to the possibility of terrorists employing chemical and biological weapons. With public buildings becoming soft targets for terrorist strikes, governments worldwide are stepping up efforts to safeguard key de ...

An Introduction to Post-attack Decontamination 2004 By Robert J. Heyer, D.Sc. BIOHAZARD NEWS Robert J. Heyer is an emergency preparedness consultant, biologist and hazmat commander in the New York metro area, New Jersey. He has extensive FEMA training in emergency response to terrorism with chemical, biological and nuclear weapons. This document on decontamination was originally written and delivered Sept 15, 2001 to firefighters and police officers, and later revised. Introduction Recent ...

ARMED FORCES By Bret Lanz & Jessica Holmes Nov 1, 2003 Primedia Business Magazines and Media The work of emergency responders is constantly changing. In addition to being responsible for “typical” disasters — fire, industrial chemical spills, gas releases and the like — fire and emergency departments now may be called on to respond in the wake of a terrorist attack. How is technology responding to these demands? Several groups are pooling their resources to develop innovative products and t ...

Autonomous Detection of Aerosolized Biological Agents by Multiplexed Immunoassay with Polymerase Chain Reaction Confirmation Web Release Date: December 2, 2004 Received for review July 27, 2004. Accepted October 12, 2004. Benjamin J. Hindson, Mary T. McBride, Anthony J. Makarewicz, Bruce D. Henderer, Ujwal S. Setlur, Sally M. Smith, Dora M. Gutierrez, Thomas R. Metz, Shanavaz L. Nasarabadi, Kodumudi S. Venkateswaran, Stephen W. Farrow, Bill W. Colston, Jr., and John M. Dzenitis* Analytica ...

CBRNE - Chemical Decontamination June 28, 2004 eMedicine Synonyms and related keywords: chemical warfare agents, hazardous materials, decon Author: Liudvikas Jagminas, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Assistant Professor of Surgery, Brown University School of Medicine; Medical Director of Trauma, Department of Emergency Medicine, Rhode Island Hospital Coauthor(s): Dennis P Erdman, MD, Staff Physician, Department of Emergency Medicine, Rhode Island Hospital Liudvikas Jagminas, MD, is ...

CBRNE - Chemical Warfare Agents October 25, 2004 Author: Jeffrey L Arnold, MD, FACEP, Medical Director, Office of Emergency Preparedness, Assistant Clinical Professor of Emergency Medicine, Section of Emergency Medicine, Yale New Haven Hospital Editor(s): Edmond Hooker, MD, Assistant Clinical Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Louisville, Wright State University; John T VanDeVoort, PharmD, Clinical Assistant Professor, College of Pharmacy, University of Minnesota; ...

Chemical Release Simulated in Baltimore Subway November 16, 2003 by Cpl. Sharon E. Fox 4th MEB (AT) dcmilitary.com BALTIMORE(November 16, 2003) - Men and women in space-suit like uniforms roamed through a smoke-filled subway tunnel. All that could be heard were the shrieks of victims suffering with the effects of a lethal gas attack. All that was visible were the dead and injured bodies draped on the stairs, walkways and floors of the contaminated, underground space. The masked warriors ...

Chlorine Dioxide Gas Decontamination Of A Blow/Fill/Seal Machine, Mark A. Czarneski and Patrick Poisson, April 2005 A2C2 Magazine During a particular challenge study, microorganisms are dispersed in the air at varying concentrations while an operating Blow/Fill/Seal machine produces containers filled with a medium that supports the growth of the challenge microorganism. The resulting data may then be used to establish a relationship between the levels of airborne microorganisms in the machine ...

Comprehensive biodefense text published 20 May 2005 By: Caree Vander Linden Medical News Today A new book, Biological Weapons Defense: Infectious Disease and Counterbioterrorism, deals with the intentional causality of disease. Published by Humana Press, this text is also available in e-Book. Many of the contributors come from the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), the nation's premier biodefense laboratory. In this 624-page, hardcover text edited by L ...

DECONTAMINATION Federation of American Scientists (FAS). OVERVIEW Decontamination is the reduction or removal of chemical agents. Decontamination may be accomplished by removal of these agents by physical means or by chemical neutralization or detoxification. Decontamination of skin is the primary concern, but decontamination of eyes and wounds must also be done when necessary. Personal decontamination is decontamination of self; casualty decontamination refers to the decontamination of casu ...

Decontamination shower system revamped October 29, 2004 Vanderbilt University Medical Center Vanderbilt Medical Center has improved its frontline system designed to keep the hospital safe in the event of a chemical or biological terrorist attack or a hazardous materials accident. Though not visible upon regular observation, a new emergency decontamination shower stands ready outside The Vanderbilt Clinic (TVC) that can decontaminate more than 100 people an hour. Decontamination typically co ...

Decontamination showers 10 March 2003 Source: Building Products News As the possibility of chemical spillages, terrorist attacks or other disasters grows, there is increasing demand for equipment capable of dealing with the decontamination of general public, emergency services personnel and contaminated equipment. Because of this, JD Hughes Group PLC has appointed Enware as their exclusive distributor in Australasia, making available products such as the Cupola decon 2 Rapid Decontamination ...

Decontamination Technology Still Outdated June 2003 by Roxana Tiron National Defense Industrial Association The Pentagon plans to accelerate, during the next five years, research and development efforts in chemical and biological decontamination technology. Current and future programs aim to reduce the logistical burden of transporting decontamination equipment and to develop safer decontamination agents. The equipment used today is not only hazardous to military hardware, but also to oper ...

Detecting biological threats top goal of UH project 20-May-2005 By: Lisa Merkl University of Houston Homeland Security grant to further research against bioterrorism HOUSTON, May 20, 2005 – Researchers at the University of Houston have been awarded a homeland security grant to develop a method for identifying bacteria and viruses that could be used in bioterrorism. The Homeland Security Advanced Research Projects Agency (HSARPA) recently awarded the grant to a group of bioinformatics rese ...

Amita 2004 Public Safety and Security Mitigation and Detection Solution: In April 2004, the Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Research and Technology Initiative (CRTI) accepted AMITA’s syndromic surveillance proposal entitled ECADS. CRTI is a joint interdepartmental initiative led by Defence R&D Canada. Its primary focus is to strengthen the nation’s preparedness for, prevention of and response to a CBRN terrorist attack by fostering new investments in research and technology t ...

ECBC: Experts in Equipment Decon Technology This article was Originally Published on Apr 15, 2003 in Volume: 7 Issue: 3 By Jordan N. Fuhr Military Medical Technology Online Archives Decontamination of any kind can be a daunting task. That is why ECBC is invested in ensuring that the warfighter is best equipped to handle the challenges associated with equipment decon. Navigating through the darkness amidst a swirling sandstorm that is kicking up the desert, soldiers of the 187th Infantry Re ...

Exchange properties of cyanide complexes December 2003 A. Nilchi1 , B. Malek1, M. Ghanadi Maragheh1 and A. Khanchi1 Publisher: Springer Science+Business Media B.V., Formerly Kluwer Academic Publishers B.V. Abstract Some heavy metal ferrocyanides were prepared and their selectivity towards cesium was investigated. Many were found to have good ion exchange properties and some can be easily prepared in a granular form suitable for the use in a packed column operation. The ferrocyanides show ...

Immobilization of Enzymes in Nanoporous Host Materials: A nanobiotechnological Approach to Decontamination and Demilitarization of Chemical and Biological Warfare Agents REPORT DATE 06 MAY 2002 CORPORATE AUTHOR DREXEL UNIV PHILADELPHIA PA DEPT OF CHEMISTRY ABSTRACT As proposed, we have established the concept of a novel nanobiotechnology for decontamination and demilitarization of chemical and biological warfare agents, based on immobilizing decon/demil effective enzymes such as organophos ...

JSFDS: Avoiding the Deep, Dark Hole Oct 06, 2003 By J. Michael Brower Military Medical Technology Online Archives Volume: 7 Issue: 6 JSFDS embraces decontamination from a family of systems perspective. Setting aside Saddam’s gassing of the Iraqi Kurds and reported “yellow rain” in Southeast Asia during the Cold War, World War I represents the most grotesque and hell-bent use of chemical weapons. Images from that time still repulse and shock. But the military can’t afford to look askance, ...

L-Gel Decontaminates Better Than Bleach April 2003 —Arnie Heller Chemistry & Material Science Directorate The recent cases of anthrax spores deliberately spread through the mail reminded all Americans, and especially managers of federal and state agencies responsible for public health and safety, about potential terrorism with chemical and biological weapons. The anthrax cases have also underscored the need for safer and more efficient methods to decontaminate offices and homes of deadly bi ...

Metro officials ready to decontaminate vehicles for biological threats July 24, 2003 Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Metro officials are prepared to rapidly and safely respond to biological threats in its bus and rail car fleet should a threat be realized in the Washington Metropolitan region. Viruses such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), smallpox, influenza, TB, and similar biological threats can be minimized through its newly devised Vehicle Decontamination Pro ...

Military tech center coming to the city 05/20/2005 L.A. Lorek San Antonio Express-News The Defense Department has granted $879,000 to the International Institute for Human Performance to develop technology to protect military forces and emergency personnel. The newly established institute will be based at the Texas Research Park in San Antonio and will operate as a nonprofit organization. It will eventually have 10 employees, said Randy Goldsmith, president of the San Antonio Technology A ...

Naval Forces' Defense Capabilities Against Chemical and Biological Warfare Threats (2004) Naval Studies Board (NSB) BOX C.1 Joint Service and Other Agency Programs in Decontamination Joint Service Programs Joint Services Fixed Site Decontamination (JSFSD). This effort is geared toward ports of entry, airfields, logistics nodes, and command and control centers. The goal is removal, neutralization, or elimination of chemical/biological agents and toxic industrial materials by employing a fa ...

Nerve Agents: General CBWInfo.com Copyright© 1999-2005 FULL LEVEL A CHEMICAL PROTECTIVE ENSEMBLES ARE REQUIRED FOR PROTECTION! Hazardous on exposure by: Ingestion Inhalation Injection Skin contact Masks, including self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) masks, alone do not provide adequate protection against these agents. Evacuate uphill and upwind without moving through the agent cloud. Nerve agents are chemicals which interfere with the action of the nervous system. Their pr ...

New Ebola, Marburg vaccines effective in animal models by Caree Vander-Linden U.S. Army Research Institute of Infectious Diseases June 9, 2005 Fort Detrick Standard Scientists from the Public Health Agency of Canada, in collaboration with the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, developed vaccines against the Ebola and Marburg viruses that have been shown to be effective in non-human primates. In a study published in this month's Nature Medicine, Canadian researc ...

NIAID awards first $27 million using new bioshield authorities 11 May 2005 NIAID News Office NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has awarded 10 grants and 2 contracts totaling approximately $27 million to fund development of new therapeutics and vaccines against some of the most deadly agents of bioterrorism including anthrax, botulinum toxin, Ebola virus ...

NY Academy of Sciences reveals how scientists plan to combat bioterrorism & deadly pathogens 15 Apr 2005 Jennifer Tang New York Academy of Sciences Smallpox, anthrax, dengue, plague, hantaviruses, and lassa fever --diseases that many thought had been eliminated, or at least found only in certain parts of the world -- have the potential to re-emerge and spread. Some may even become weapons in the hands of terrorists. To combat the growing threat of bioterrorism and emerging infectious dise ...

Outside View: Crying wolf on bioterror? June 13, 2005 By Anthony H. Cordesman Outside View Commentator World Peace Herald WARSAW, Poland -- The threat of a biological terrorism is all too real. There have already been a series of low-level and attempted attacks using biological weapons and toxins, and some have had marginal success. The politics and ideology of terrorism continue to remove the past limits to the levels of violence that terrorists are willing to use and increa ...

Passive Antibody Administration (Immediate Immunity) as a Specific Defense against Biological Weapons This page posted June 17, 2002 This page last reviewed July 18, 2002 Arturo Casadevall Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, USA CDC Emerging Infectious Diseases Suggested citation for this article: Casadevall A. Passive antibody administration (immediate immunity) as a specific defense against biological weapons. Emerg Infect Dis [serial online] 2002 Aug [date cited];8. A ...

Pentagon report outlines chemical, biological defense needs June 2, 2003 By David Ruppe National Journal Group Inc A range of new vaccines, real-time multiagent detection systems, safer decontamination solutions and less burdensome protective clothing are among the numerous measures sought by the U.S. military to better protect U.S. forces against chemical and biological warfare threats. The various needs - and the solutions planned to address them - were outlined in the annual report of ...

Personal Decon Jun 03, 2003 By Sylvie Ellen Military Medical Technology Online Maintaining a clean and sterile environment, as well as having access to a proven method of skin decontamination, is critical to soldier survival in the field. Protection against bacteria, viruses and even some chemical weapons such as mustard and nerve agents, are essential to maintaining healthy soldiers who are ready and able to fight. MMT looks at three types of products that offer varied levels of personal d ...

Preparing for Anything in a Challenging New World! 06/01/2005 By Casey Hayes Homeland Response The events of Sept. 11, 2001 changed many things. The notion of honor in conflict was lost forever, as was the separation of targeting military and civilian assets and people. On that day, terror became the weapon of choice of radical regimes and movements. As a result, our thinking with respect to emergency preparation changed forever, as well. The addition of possible intentional incidents to ou ...

Protective effect of Aloe vera L. gel against sulphur mustard-induced systemic toxicity and skin lesions 3/1/2005 Byline: G. Anshoo, S. Singh, A. Kulkarni, S. Pant, R. Vijayaraghavan Indian Journal of Pharmacology OBJECTIVE: Sulphur mustard (SM), chemically 2,2'-dichloro diethyl sulphide, is an incapacitating and extremely toxic chemical warfare agent, and causes serious blisters on contact with human skin. SM forms sulphonium ion in the body that alkylates DNA and several other macromolecules, and induces oxidative stress. The aim of this study was to evaluate the protective effect of Aloe vera L. gel against SM-induced systemic toxicity and skin lesions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Aloe vera gel was given (250, 500 and ... «Read the Full Article, Sign up today»

RAND Bioterrorism Conference -- Raber Presentation 2 Conference Proceedings Section V: TECH PANEL: Homeland Defense Beyond 2000 Transcript... Dr. Ellen Raber, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Decontamination Technologies As a follow-up to my earlier talk at this Symposium, I would like to discuss the status of decontamination technologies. I will talk about requirements for the civilian sector, some emerging technologies, and in particular, where the Department of Energy (DOE) labora ...

Reducing the Threat of Biological Weapons June 1998 Fred Milanovich Science & Technology Review Livermore's strategy for defense against the use of biological weapons integrates technology, operations, and poly and provides a framework for coordinated local, state, and federal emergency response. "WEAPONS of mass destruction" is a terrifying term. We all have mental images of the horrors of a nuclear attack, and photos of Kurdish and Iranian casualties of Iraqi chemical attacks atte ...

Revised ANSI/ISEA Standard for Emergency Eyewash and Shower Equipment January 2004 International Safety Equipment Association The ISEA has received ANSI approval for a revised edition of the American National Standard for Emergency Eyewash and Shower Equipment, ANSI Z358.1-2004. This publication includes minimum performance, testing, installation, maintenance and training specifications for equipment and systems used for emergency treatment of the eyes or body of a person who has been expo ...

SAF arms key installation units with new weapons and security measures 20 May 2005 By Johnson Choo Channel NewsAsia SINGAPORE : Singapore has now armed its soldiers protecting key installations with new weapons more suited for counter-terrorism. The Army's Island Defence Headquarters will work hand-in-hand with the Home Team to monitor and respond to terrorist threats. Since November last year, installation protection duties have also been taken over by the 6th Battalion, Singapore Infa ...

SCIENCE POLICY: ON THE RESPONSE TO BIO-CHEM TERRORISM 2003 ScienceWeek The following points are made by J.P. Fitch et al (Science 2003 302:1350): 1) Responding rapidly to a chemical or biological terrorist attack requires the ability to monitor and detect what chemical or biological agents may be present, establish where they are going and who has been exposed, and decontaminate affected areas, if necessary. Technologies to counter potential uses of biological warfare agents are advancing ra ...

Secret of smallpox's success may lead to bioterror cure 20 May 2005 James Hathaway Arizona State University In disease, as in war, offensive strategies can become weaknesses, if the defenders see the enemy coming and compensate for its weapons. By manipulating what is perhaps the most devastating trick in cellular weaponry of pox viruses like smallpox, Arizona State University virologist and Biodesign Institute researcher Bertram Jacobs believes that he can turn the biochemical machinery ...

Sensitive Decontamination Oct 06, 2003 By J.R. Wilson Military Medical Technology Online Archives Not everything can be decontaminated with a fire hose. Only in the past decade or so has the concept of a terrorist or military attack using chemical or biological weapons moved from Hollywood scripts to the evening news. Sarin gas in the Tokyo subway and anthrax-contaminated letters in the United States demonstrated what terrorists had the capacity to accomplish. And whatever the findings in ...

SFO tests 'sniffer' system to combat bioterror attack Thursday, March 27, 2003 Alan Gathright, Chronicle Staff Writer San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco -- In a glimpse of the war on terrorism's sci-fi future, federal scientists have spent 2 1/2 years quietly testing a system of electronic "sniffers" to detect chemical and bio-warfare agents at San Francisco International Airport. Testing of the early-warning system, which has been kept under wraps because of security concerns, is neari ...

Taking the Nerve Out of Terrorism From Winter 2005 TechBeat Commuters laden with briefcases, purses, and newspapers scurry to get to work on time. Tourists juggling cameras, maps, and strollers try to get their bearings. Students dragging backpacks and books linger as long as possible. For metropolitan transit systems across the Nation, it’s a typical morning. But this morning could turn out not to be typical. This could be the morning terrorists plan to strike with a nerve agent. On ...

TECH PANEL: Homeland Defense Beyond 2000 Transcript... Dr. Ellen Raber, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Decontamination Technologies As a follow-up to my earlier talk at this Symposium, I would like to discuss the status of decontamination technologies. I will talk about requirements for the civilian sector, some emerging technologies, and in particular, where the Department of Energy (DOE) laboratories are going with respect to new decontamination technologies. The requirements f ...

Technology Challenges in Responding to Biological or Chemical Attacks in the Civilian Sector 21 November 2003 J. Patrick Fitch,1* Ellen Raber,2* Dennis R. Imbro1 Science Increasingly sophisticated technologies are needed for counterterrorism responses to biological and chemical warfare agents. Recently developed detection and identification systems are characterized by increased sensitivity, greater automation, and fewer false alarms. Attempts are also under way to reduce the cost and comp ...

Tests suggest Acambis smallpox vaccine may have safety advantage Aug 21, 2003 Weltzin R, Liu J, Pugachev KV, et al. Center for Infectious Disease Research & Policy Aug 21, 2003 (CIDRAP News)  Initial tests of the new cell-culturegrown smallpox vaccine now being stockpiled by the US government indicate that it may be slightly safer than the vaccine used in the current immunization program, according to a report by the vaccine's manufacturer. Acambis Inc., developer of the new vaccine, cal ...

The challenge of anthrax decontamination 07 June 2004 By Andy Oppenheimer Jane's Since the series of mailings containing military-grade anthrax spores that killed five people and terrorised millions of US citizens in October 2001, health and postal officials have faced the new and massive task of decontaminating all the facilities where officials detected anthrax spores. More than two years after the attacks, the vast mail-processing centre in Trenton, New Jersey — where the letters appar ...

THE DECONTAMINATION OF PEOPLE EXPOSED TO CHEMICAL, BIOLOGICAL, RADIOLOGICAL OR NUCLEAR (CBRN) SUBSTANCES OR MATERIAL Second edition – May 2004 By Hazel Blears, Minister of State for Counter-Terrorism & Resilience, Home Office UK Resilience Introduction 1.1 In this document the term CBRN is used to describe the whole range of incidents that can occur as a result of a release of chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear materials. 1.2 The scope of this guidance is not confined to the de ...

The Use Of Technology In Preparing Subway Systems For Chemical/Biological Terrorism Dr. Anthony J. Policastro Argonne National Laboratory Argonne, IL Dr. Susanna P. Gordon Sandia National Laboratories Livermore, CA APTA American Public Transportation Association ABSTRACT Recent events have raised concern among public transit agencies regarding the potential for chemical or biological terrorism. In particular, the sarin attack in the Tokyo subway in 1995 revealed that a significant ...

UF scientists have bionanotechnology recipe to find elusive bacteria June 2005 Moneyplans.net Archives A team of University of Florida researchers has created tiny hybrid particles that can speedily root out even one isolated E. coli bacterium lurking in ground beef or provide a crucial early warning alarm for bacteria used as agents of bioterrorism and for early disease diagnosis. The study will appear this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. "Our focus is the ...

US States Have Spent, Allocated Most Federal Funds for Bioterrorist Attack Prevention, GAO Says 01 Apr 2005 Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report US states and cities have spent or allocated at least 80% of the federal bioterrorism grants that they received in 2002 and 2003, according to a... Government Accountability Office report released on Wednesday, the AP/San Francisco Chronicle reports. States and cites also have spent more than half of the funds they received in the 12-month period that ...

Viruses May Be Environmentally Friendly Decontaminants Mar 10, 2004 SPACEDAILY Viruses could become the next generation of environmentally friendly decontaminants, replacing harmful chemicals like chlorine dioxide in cleaning up areas exposed to anthrax spores, according to findings released today at the American Society for Microbiology's Biodefense Research Meeting. Researchers from the Biological Defense Research Directorate in Rockville, Maryland, the Defense Science Technology Laborator ...