Anthrax

Anthrax is an acute infectious disease caused by the spore-forming bacterium Bacillus anthracis. Anthrax most commonly occurs in farm animals, but it can also infect humans. Symptoms of disease vary, but usually occur within 7 days after exposure. The serious forms of human anthrax are inhalation (a respiratory infection), cutaneous (a skin infection), and intestinal anthrax.

Anthrax contamination was detected in U. S. Senate office buildings and at several other locations across the United States. The EPA has been working closely with the Capitol Hill Police, the U.S. Postal Service, the Centers for Disease Control, the FBI, and other agencies to ensure that existing anthrax contamination is quickly identified and thoroughly cleaned up, and also to prevent future exposures.

While anthrax cleanup is a new challenge, EPA and its partners have assembled an effective toolbox for tackling it. In a very short time, we've significantly advanced the science and technology of detecting and cleaning up anthrax.

EPA's Role

• The National Response System
• New Methods and Technologies
• Other Counter-terrorism Activities

Response Updates

• Washington, DC
• Florida
• New York
• Other Locations

General Information

• What You Should Do
• Anthrax Fact Sheets
• Frequently Asked Questions

Technical Information

• For Responders
• For Employers/Building Managers
• For Technology Vendors

EPA's Role in Responding to Anthrax Contamination

EPA provides technical expertise and oversight in detecting anthrax contamination and ensuring that cleanup fully protects public health and the environment.

Local police, health department officials or hazardous materials teams are usually the first ones on scene in response to incidents that could involve anthrax. They do the initial sampling, and if anthrax is found, more comprehensive sampling is needed to fully assess the severity and extent of contamination.

Private building owners are responsible for hiring qualified contractors to conduct this sampling and perform whatever decontamination is necessary. Due to the extreme hazards potentially associated with exposure to anthrax, it is absolutely essential to work closely with EPA and other federal agencies with expertise in sampling, decontamination and protection of workers. EPA is notified through the National Response Center and provides an On Scene Coordinator to ensure that work proceeds appropriately. Under the National Contingency Plan, EPA has the authority to take over this work if the situation exceeds the capabilities of the owner or state and local responders.

Once the extent of contamination is assessed, EPA provides technical expertise in developing a site-specific cleanup plan. Decontamination of anthrax is a rapidly evolving field, with new technologies continually being advanced and tested. It is EPA's responsibility to ensure that antimicrobial pesticides used in anthrax decontamination plans meet all Federal requirements for standards of safety and effectiveness. In developing a strategy for decontamination, EPA consults with a variety of scientific experts, such as:

• EPA's Environmental Response Team Scientific Support Coordinators
• EPA research laboratories
• the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health
• the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• the US Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases
• the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency

State and local environmental and health officials are also consulted, and we may request recommendations from national experts in universities and private industry.

The cleanup plan reflects the size and type of the potentially contaminated areas (e.g., a large open mailroom or a small office cubicle), how the contamination was delivered (e.g., highly concentrated spores contained in an envelope or tracked down the hallway from a contaminated area), how contamination could be dispersed (e.g., through an air handling system or by ordinary movement within an office) and other characteristics related to daily activities in the area. Since each site is different, each cleanup plan will be tailored to the unique situation at that site.

Once cleanup is completed, a new round of sampling is done to make sure that the anthrax spores have been removed or killed, and that it is safe to reoccupy the area. In some cases, it may be necessary to use more than one type of treatment or to treat more than one time.

The National Response System

EPA's response to recent anthrax incidents is part of a larger National Response System that has effectively dealt with a wide range of environmental emergencies for almost 30 years. It is a multi-layered system of individuals and teams from local, state, and federal agencies, industry, and other organizations that share expertise and resources to ensure that oil spill control and cleanup activities are timely and efficient, and that they minimize threats to human health and the environment.

• Key Components
• How It Works
• The National Response Team

New Methods and Technologies

Anthrax decontamination is a rapidly evolving field, with new methods and technologies continually being developed and tested. Several different antimicrobial pesticides and devices are being currently used by qualified experts under carefully controlled conditions in anthrax cleanups being done across the country.

• Chlorine Dioxide
• Ethylene Oxide
• Bleach
• Paraformaldehyde
• Hydrogen Peroxide and Peroxyacetic Acid
• Methyl Bromide
• Vaporized Hydrogen Peroxide

EPA's Technology Innovation Office is leading an effort to collect and disseminate information about technologies that detect and kill anthrax and other biological agents. Technology for Biological Threats is a clearinghouse for information about these technologies and their vendors, and links to other resources pertaining to the detection and decontamination of biological agents. We are also operating a vendor helpline at (703) 390-0701 and an email address at EPATechBiT@ttemi.com to field inquiries from vendors of detection, decontamination, and measurement technologies.

Under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, all products that claim to be a sanitizer, disinfectant, sterilant, or sporicde need a registration number or approval for emergency use from the Antimicrobials Division of EPA's Office of Pesticide Programs. Vendors of decontamination technologies who wish to get their technology registered or approved for emergency use should contact Jeff Kempter in EPA's Office of Pesticide Programs, Antimicrobials Division, at (703) 305-5448, or kempter.carlton@epa.gov. For a complete list of crisis exemptions issued by EPA for pesticide products used for decontamination of anthrax see (http://www.EPATechBiT.org/crisis.htm).

Other Counter-terrorism Activities

Like many other federal agencies, EPA is working closely with the Office of Homeland Security to develop a national strategy to strengthen protections against terrorist threats or attacks in the United States. But EPA has also been actively involved in federal counter-terrorism planning and response efforts for the past several years. See EPA's Chemical Emergency Preparedness Office (CEPPO) for more information. Our primary responsibilities have been to help state and local response personnel plan for emergencies, to provide counter-terrorism response training, and to provide technical expertise and other resources in the event of a terrorist incident.

General Information

What You Should Do

• How to Recognize Suspicious Mail
• What to Do if You Receive a Suspicious Letter or Package (PDF, 1 pp., 288KB)
• How to Tell the Difference Between Anthrax and the Flu
• Special Protections for Mail Handlers

Anthrax Fact Sheets

• Facts about Anthrax
• Anthrax Tutorial
• Children and Anthrax: A Fact Sheet for Parents
• Anthrax Prevention and Treatment
• Worker Health and Safety for Anthrax Exposure
• Additional Options for Preventive Treatment (e.g., vaccine)

Frequently Asked Questions

• In English
• En Espaņol
• Protecting the Worksite
• Anthrax/Bioterrorism and Children

Response Updates

Washington, DC

As part of a Unified Command effort, EPA responded to anthrax contamination discovered in Congressional buildings in the Capitol Complex. EPA emergency responders have taken thousands of samples in more than 30 buildings to determine whether anthrax was actually present and to design and carry out site-specific cleanup strategies where contamination was found. Senator Daschle's office suite was fumigated with chlorine dioxide gas on December 1, (see Hart Senate Office Building Decontamination) and on Dec. 30, further fumigation was done in the air handling system that serves that area. Several other suites and common areas in the Hart Building and in other buildings in the Capitol Complex were cleaned using chlorine dioxide liquid, foams and high efficiency particle air (HEPA) filter vacuuming. Post cleanup sampling showed no remaining viable anthrax, and on Jan. 22, the Hart, Ford and Longworth Buildings were cleared for reoccupancy.

Related activities include:

• sampling to confirm and determine the extent of contamination
• evaluating sampling results
• isolating areas to prevent spread of contamination
• removing critical objects for special decontamination procedures
• working with the US Postal Service and other agencies to evaluate the effectiveness of potential disinfectants and cleanup technologies
• cleaning up localized areas of decontamination

In addition to the work in the Capitol Complex, EPA is supporting numerous other agencies in the metropolitan Washington area in identifying and eliminating anthrax contamination. EPA is providing extensive assistance to the US Postal Service in designing and carrying out comprehensive cleanup plans for contamination at their Brentwood facility.

Florida

EPA conducted extensive sampling at the American Media, Inc. building in Boca Raton. We are now providing technical assistance to the owner in developing and carrying out a strategy for decontaminating the building.

EPA also provided technical assistance to the US Postal Service in sampling and decontaminating five postal facilities in Boca Raton, Lake Worth, and West Palm Beach. Decontamination has been completed at all of these facilities.

New York

EPA has provided technical assistance for sampling and decontamination at the Morgan US postal facility, NBC News Headquarters, the offices of the New York Post, and the office of Mayor Giuliani.

Other Locations

EPA has also provided technical assistance at:

• 7 US postal facilities in New Jersey
• 1 private facility in Indiana
• 1 private facility in Missouri
• 1 US postal facility in North Carolina
• 1 US postal facility in Connecticut

Technical Information

For Responders:

Note: Due to the extreme hazards potentially associated with exposure to anthrax, it is absolutely essential for responders to work closely with EPA and other federal agencies with expertise in sampling, decontamination, and protection of workers.

Personal Protective Equipment

• Interim Recommendation for the Selection and Use of Protective Clothing and Respirators against Biological Agents
• Protecting Investigators Performing Environmental Sampling for Bacillus anthracis: Personal Protective Equipment

Prophylaxis

• Use of Ciprofloxacin or Doxycycline for Postexposure Prophylaxis for Prevention of Inhalational Anthrax
• Patient Information on Ciprofloxacin
• Patient Information on Doxycycline

Procedures for Collecting Samples

The National Response Team's 100+ Preparedness and Response Links on the Internet

Options for Decontamination

(Note: These options are authorized for use only under specific conditions tailored to the characteristics of each site.)

• Chlorine Dioxide
• Ethylene Oxide
• Bleach
• Paraformaldehyde
• Hydrogen Peroxide and Peroxyacetic Acid
• Methyl Bromide
• Vaporized Hydrogen Peroxide

For Employers/Building Managers:

• Anthrax in the Workplace
• Worker Health and Safety for Anthrax Exposure
• Protecting the Worksite Against Terrorism
• Occupational Exposure to Anthrax
• Mailroom Training
• Anthrax and Other Bioterrorism Issues - A Web Portal for Federal Managers

For Technology Vendors:

EPA's Technology Innovation Office is leading an effort to collect and disseminate information about technologies that detect and kill anthrax and other biological agents. "Technology for Biological Threats" is a clearinghouse for information about these technologies and their vendors, and links to other resources pertaining to the detection and decontamination of biological agents. We are also operating a vendor helpline at (703) 390-0701 and an email address at EPATechBiT@ttemi.com to field inquiries from vendors of detection, decontamination, and measurement technologies.

Under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, all products that claim to be a sanitizer, disinfectant, sterilant, or sporicde need a registration number or approval for emergency use from the Antimicrobials Division of EPA's Office of Pesticide Programs. Vendors of decontamination technologies who wish to get their technology registered or approved for emergency use should contact Jeff Kempter in EPA's Office of Pesticide Programs, Antimicrobials Division, at (703) 305-5448, or kempter.carlton@epa.gov. For a complete list of crisis exemptions issued by EPA for pesticide products used for decontamination of anthrax see (http://12.38.16.40/epatechbit/crisis.htm).