STATEMENT OF
GOVERNOR CHRISTINE TODD WHITMAN
ADMINISTRATOR
U.S.
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
BEFORE THE
COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS
DECEMBER 4, 2001
Chairman Jeffords and Members of the Subcommittee, thank you for the
opportunity to describe the Environmental Protection Agency=s (EPA) role in combating bioterrorism:
specifically, the role in the decontamination of anthrax in buildings as part
of the Agency=s overall mission to protect human health and
the environment. I am pleased to say
that EPA=s efforts to meet its counterterrorism
obligations are consistent with the President=s statement that combating terrorism and protecting the nation=s critical infrastructures are a high
priority for his administration.
There are several Presidential Decision Directives (PDDs) that specify
a role for EPA in counter terrorism activities. PDD 39 assigned EPA the task of assisting the FBI during crisis
management in threat assessments and determining the type of hazards associated
with releases or potential releases of materials in a terrorist incident. EPA, as the lead agency for Hazardous
Materials Response under Emergency Support Function (ESF) 10 of the Federal
Response Plan, is also assigned to assist the Federal Emergency Management
Agency, during consequence management with environmental monitoring,
decontamination, and long-term site cleanup.
PDD 62 reinforces our mission to enhance the nation=s capabilities to respond to terrorist
events. PDD 63 which addresses the
protection of America=s
critical infrastructure, named EPA the lead agency for the Water Supply Sector.
Working with our federal partners, private sector experts, and drawing
upon our considerable in-house expertise, EPA has been developing new methods
and protocols, and standard operating procedures to deal with this new threat
to the health and safety of the American people. And we have been doing so on a real-time basis. The speed of our response, however, has not
been at the expense of sound science.
Indeed, a team of science experts has been integral to our daily
activities.
EPA=S ROLE IN BUILDINGS CONTAMINATED WITH ANTHRAX
Our cleanup experts have been drawing on their years of expertise and
experience, on the talents of scientists in industry and academia, and on the
knowledge available from our federal partners.
Similar analysis informed the cleanups undertaken at the several postal
facilities and media offices, although since they were of a much smaller scope,
they were more readily addressed.
Our role at a site generally begins after the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) has tested to determine the presence of a threat
and the risk that threat poses to human health. Once a decision is made to decontaminate a building, EPA and CDC
will work together to advise the Incident Commander about the extent to which a
building must be cleaned to make it safe.
EPA staff has provided expert technical advice to facility managers
throughout the country on issues such as sampling plans, worker safety and
actual site cleanup methods.
This role is a natural fit for EPA=s on-scene coordinators, managers who are experienced in assessing
contamination in structures, soil, water and air-handling systems. On-scene coordinators have considerable
experience at sorting out hazards, quantifying risks, planning and implementing
emergency cleanups, and coordinating among other agencies, state and local
government, and the private sector.
EPA employees are working at the direction of the incident commanders
from other federal agencies, and report to the U.S. Postal Service at their
facilities and the Sergeant at Arms in the Capitol.
In addition to the activity generated by testing and cleaning, these
sites are also being treated as crime scenes.
That is why our Criminal Investigation Division has been working closely
with the FBI and with local and state law enforcement agencies at the various
contaminated sites. We are assisting the FBI in gathering evidence to identify
the criminals responsible for terrorist attacks.
As we seek to apply the lessons we=re learning from all our decontamination efforts one thing is becoming
clear B there=s no one size fits all solution.
Each event has to be thoroughly analyzed as a separate case before we
can propose an effective solution.
For example, cleaning a facility that largely contains rugged, heavy
equipment can be accomplished using such methods as foam or liquid chlorine
dioxide B methods that the contents of the building
can stand up to. On the other hand, a
facility that contains lots of paper, office furniture, and electronic
equipment needs to be cleaned using another method B such as fumigation B that won=t damage the contents in the way a liquid would.
Other factors, such as the amount of contamination found, the ways and
extent to which it can be dispersed throughout a building, the nature of the
surrounding area, and the ways in which the building is used all require
additional consideration before proceeding with decontamination.
The first step in remediating a building is just like the first step in
any cleanup operation and that is to determine the potential for risk to human
health. Anthrax is a known threat to
human health, but the literature is scant on the number of spores that a person
must be exposed to before developing inhalational
disease.
The health team that has come together to help us establish the
parameters for defining the extent of contamination and providing direct health
advice to affected individuals has involved a wide array of experts. The Congress=s own Office of the Attending Physician has played a central role in
providing direct medical advice to the people who work in the affected
buildings. EPA has worked with the CDC and the Agency for Toxic Substances and
Disease Registry in the Department of Health and Human Services in the areas of
sampling strategy, remediating processes and criteria for judging a remediation
process to be effective. In
particular, National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) within CDC has been extremely helpful as
has been the Department for Labor=s Occupational Safety and health Administration (OSHA). The Department of Defense, including the
U.S. Air Force=s CHPPM group has special expertise because
of the potential that anthrax would be used as a biological weapon in a war
setting. OSHA has been helpful in
determining appropriate safety measures both for the people who work in the
buildings and also for the extensive remediation crews that are at work
here. The District of Columbia=s Department of Health as well as their state
counterparts, Maryland=s
Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, have been consulted regularly. And EPA=s own in-house expertise including toxicologists from as far away as
our Denver office and safety officers from our own nearby Ft. Meade laboratory
have also played a vital role.
Together this group of experts has reached consensus on when cleanup
activities are warranted, and they have also formed a team to review final
cleanup data to make a determination that the buildings will be safe to
reoccupy.
REMEDIATION
STRATEGIES
While we have developed extraordinarily strong working relationships
with numerous partners in developing the appropriate health and safety
standards and in conducting our sampling work, it is in the area of actual
remediation efforts that our collaborations have been the most
broad-based.
The full array of federal agencies with expertise in remediation
strategies has been involved in helping develop the tools we need to deal with
anthrax contamination. We have
consulted with the White House=s Office of Science Technology Policy.
Indeed, the President=s science advisor has been at the Incident Command Center, providing a
key link to this federal government-wide response.
Additionally, we are gratified by the level of cooperation and coordination
that has taken place between the federal agencies with responsibilities for
identifying and remediating anthrax contamination. In particular, we have
worked very closely with staff from the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention in the areas of sampling strategy, remediating processes and
criteria for judging a remediation process to be effective. NIOSH has been extremely helpful in
providing EPA expertise in the area of worker protection, both for response
operations and in establishing cleanup goals. We also appreciate the input from
the Department of Defense, particularly the Center for Health Promotion and
Preventive Medicine and United States Army Medical Research Institute for
Infectious Diseases. The Coast Guard and Marines have assisted with sampling
and cleanup. Finally, the District of Columbia government has provided
invaluable expertise and assistance in involving the community.
At EPA, our Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response, the Office of
Pesticides, our Environmental Response Team out of Edison, NJ, the Emergency
Operations Center here in Washington, and the legion of responders from across
the country led by our folks from Region III, have all played important roles
in the cleanup effort.
A number of liquid and foam applications are effective at actually
killing spores. Sandia Foam is a
patented product, developed by the Sandia Labs, that we have been able to use
on a number of surfaces. Similarly,
chlorine dioxide in a liquid form, has been an extremely effective
sporocide. We know these techniques
work because we have used them in a number of areas. To address airborne
particles, HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) filter vacuums are able to
capture particles down to less than one-half micron in size. After the remediation effort is complete, we
have resampled these areas and they have come back clean.
The tools in our toolbox are growing rapidly. Each method, though, will have to prove its effectiveness before
we add it to our Standard Operating Procedures. And that proof will come from confirmation samples that are taken
after remediation is complete and come back demonstrating no threat to human
health.
EPA'S
COUNTERTERRORISM INCIDENT RESPONSE ACTIVITIES
As EPA continues to strengthen its counter-terrorism (CT) program by
building on the existing national response system for hazardous materials
(hazmat) prevention, preparedness, and response, the Agency is involved in a
variety of activities with federal, state, and local officials that include:
responding to terrorism threats; pre-deploying for special events; planning,
coordination, and outreach; and training and exercises. Most recently, EPA was asked to chair the
Security and Safety of U.S. Facilities Group of the National Security Council=s Policy Coordinating Committee for
Counterterrorism and National Preparedness.
EPA established and maintains a National Incident Coordination Team (NICT)
to assure full agency coordination of all emergency preparedness and response
activities including counter terrorism.
In the regions, the Agency=s first responders are the On-Scene Coordinators (or OSCs). The OSCs have been actively involved with local,
state, and federal authorities in preparing for and responding to threats of
terrorism. EPA=s OSCs, located throughout the United
States, have broad
response authority and a proven record of success in responding rapidly to
emergency situations.
REGISTRATION
OF PRODUCTS
Another principal responsibility of EPA=s in anthrax decontamination is to ensure that the chemicals used to
treat anthrax spores are efficacious and safe.
EPA is responsible for registering pesticides, including these antimicrobial
products used to treat anthrax spores, prior to their marketing in the U.S.
Before issuing a pesticide registration, the Agency reviews a
significant body of data to determine whether use of that pesticide will result
in unreasonable adverse effects to humans or the environment. These data can include information on short-
and long-term toxic effects and examine the potential for exposure under
expected application scenarios. For
pesticides that have public health uses, such as those used on anthrax spores,
EPA also critically evaluates their efficacy.
Under emergency conditions, EPA may allow a new use of a previously
registered pesticide or use of an unregistered pesticide where the Agency has
sufficient data to make a safety finding.
These decisions can often be made quickly, based on the data that EPA
receives and reviews.
Responding to the anthrax contamination has presented some unique
challenges to our pesticides program.
For example, currently there are no registered pesticides approved for
use against anthrax. Since the
beginning of the anthrax-contamination events, EPA has been working hard to
identify and evaluate existing pesticide products that are sporicidal, that is,
those that kill spore-forming bacteria, even though such products may not have
been tested on anthrax per se.
Since October, the Agency has approved two pesticides for treating
anthrax spores under emergency exemption provisions of existing pesticide laws B the aqueous solution of chlorine dioxide and
a foam used to treat anthrax-contaminated surfaces. We have identified several
potential chemicals and new technologies which may be effective against
anthrax. The Agency continues to work
closely with other federal agencies, emergency response teams, and independent
experts to develop effective remediation tools. On the basis of site specific information, EPA recommends proper
methods of decontamination including which antimicrobial or other substances
will be used.
EPA has also established a hotline for venders who believe they have
products that could effectively treat anthrax and has begun daily briefings to
establish routine communication between on-site personnel and key centers
within the Agency who oversee and/or support them. EPA laboratories are assisting in testing samples from
potentially contaminated sites and the evaluation of antimicrobial products for
effectiveness against anthrax has been made a top priority. In addition, EPA is using its experience in
this situation to develop approaches to handling future biological and chemical
exposures should they occur.
CONCLUSION
September 11th has changed the world in which we live. EPA
continues to rely on sound science and effective treatment techniques to
address the threat of anthrax contamination in some of our nation=s buildings.
We are proud to be a part of a massive public-private effort to meet the
challenges of this new world.
Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today. I would be happy to answer any questions
that you may have.