ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. (July 27, 2016) -- Removing chemical, biological, radiological and toxic contaminants from a range of surface types could become as easy as peeling off a sticker.
U.S. Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center scientists and an industry partner, CBI Polymer, are researching how a HydroGel can be modified to decontaminate surfaces contaminated with biological agents, such as spores of Bacillus anthracis, which can cause anthrax disease in humans and animals.
HydroGel is a biosynthetic polymer that can be sprayed, painted or poured on a surface, said Dr. Vipin Rastogi, ECBC senior research biologist. HydroGel then dries into a film, which can be peeled away and disposed of with little to no threat to the environment or the operators.
The peeled gel does not generate water waste, and it traps any toxic contaminant, such as biological spores. This removes the threat of the agent reaerosolizing, Rastogi said.
Conventional decontamination methods involve spraying soapy water and liquid sporicidal agents, which generates a high volume of wastewater that could flow into drains and be added to the environment or be otherwise difficult to safely collect and dispose of. These methods also pose a threat to the operators if residual waste gets sprayed on them.
CBI Polymer created HydroGel to remove toxic material from hard surfaces in an industrial setting. The ease of use, safety and significantly reduced burden to the environment prompted ECBC scientists to explore whether HydroGel could be applicable as a sampling tool for biological contaminants on surfaces.
In 2013, ECBC entered a cooperative research and development agreement with CBI Polymers to create modified HydroGel formulas that could decontaminate biological spores. Rastogi and ECBC researchers developed two advanced formulas, called DeconGel, that can successfully decontaminate multiple surfaces of biological agent.
A GAME-CHANGER FOR INFRASTRUCTURE DECONTAMINATION
The Department of Homeland Security researched how to decontaminate a subterranean environment, such as a subway station, if contaminated by virulent biological spores. Rastogi and Dr. Garry Edgington of CBI Polymer recommended that DeconGel could solve that issue. Donald Bansleben, a DHS science and technology program manager, sponsored the collaboration between CBIP/Metis and ECBC for the subway application.
Rastogi and his team conducted research to prove that DeconGel could remove biological spores from four subway surfaces: steel, aluminum, concrete and tile.
"Underground train stations are very complex with all types of curves and angles. There are multiple types of surfaces next to each other that are architecturally challenging," Rastogi said. "A technology such as DeconGel, which is easy to apply in hard to reach places, could be a real game-changer for this scenario-specific decontamination."
Bansleben said that DeconGel could be helpful in decontamination efforts.
"A universal decontaminant does not exist, but DeconGel can be another tool in the toolkit for remediation of biological agent contamination," he said.
BETTER COLLECTION OF BIOLOGICAL SAMPLES FROM SURFACES
Lisa Smith, an ECBC research biologist, and Rastogi wanted to see whether HydroGel had potential for biological sampling applications in its original, unmodified form. As part of an ECBC basic research program, Smith and Rastogi used the base HydroGel as a potential tool to collect biological agent from porous and non-porous surfaces.
"In current methods, if you suspect that a surface is contaminated, you would either use a wipe or a swab to rub down the surface, collect whatever is on it and analyze it in hopes of identifying what the substance is," Rastogi said. "We wanted to answer the question: 'Could the original HydroGel be used to collect, preserve and retrieve bio samples for analysis and characterization?' "
The difference between this HydroGel and the DeconGel use is that in DeconGel, the formulation kills the spores as gel dries into a film. Encapsulation of the spores in HydroGel allows the spores to remain intact for forensics analysis.
"The answer is yes; it is very successful," Rastogi said.
HydroGel used in this way protects the sample better. While wipes and swabs are proven, successful methods, they tend to interfere with the sample by spreading it around, or at times it may not pull enough sample from the surface to enable precise contamination assessment and testing.
NEW AGREEMENTS AND STUDIES
ECBC is initiating an inter-agency agreement with the Environmental Protection Agency to compare the cost and effectiveness of sporicidal chemicals when applied as liquids, gels and foams and predict the best option for rapid decontamination of large surfaces during a bioterrorism release. This program is an example of long-standing ongoing partnership between the two agencies, which began in 2004, Rastogi said.
Rastogi said he would like to research a composition where DeconGel could be effective for chemical agent decontamination.
"DeconGel has a lot of potential and could change a lot in the field of broad-hazard decontamination, including CBRNE threats," he said. "So we are exploring it and its uses to the fullest."
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The U.S. Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center is part of the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, which has the mission to ensure decisive overmatch for unified land operations to empower the Army, the joint warfighter and our nation. RDECOM is a major subordinate command of the U.S. Army Materiel Command.
Related Links:
U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command
U.S. Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center
Army researchers explore use of gels for biological decontamination
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