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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

 

HHS News U.S. Department of Health and Human Services www.hhs.gov/news  
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
   
 

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BARDA supports study in mass patient decontamination
Research helps responders and hospitals decontaminate chemical terrorism, accident survivors

Researchers will seek to determine the most effective methods and detergents for decontaminating survivors of a chemical terrorism attack or accident, under a contract awarded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response. 

The two-year, $6 million contract to develop scientific evidence and best practices for use by U.S. responders and hospitals was awarded to the University of Hertfordshire in England. The university has one of the few research teams in the world that study decontamination best practices which can be adapted to methods already used by responders in various countries. The researchers conducted similar work for the European Union.
 
Partnering with the U.S. response community, the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response identified a need for similar best practices guidance specific to methods available in the United States and based on the best available scientific evidence for mass patient decontamination after a large-scale chemical release. The patient decontamination methods and detergents used currently in the United States were developed without the benefit of thorough scientific study, primarily through experience in chemical accidents.
 
Bystanders and responders can come in contact with the chemicals released into the environment. Decontamination, such as washing off the chemical, reduces the amount of the chemical absorbed into the body, decreasing the severity of symptoms and the need for antidotes and medical support.
 
Responders and medical personnel also come in contact with the chemicals as they help survivors. Decontaminating effectively reduces the potential for this secondary contamination and allows responders to use fewer pieces of personal protective equipment during a response.
 
The contract is part of a federal effort to develop medical products and procedures to protect health and save lives in a chemical terrorist attack or accident. Under the contract, the University of Hertfordshire will conduct studies to determine the best methods and products to decontaminate a large number of people quickly and thoroughly and the consequences if these methods and products are not available.
 
The research team also will study in which circumstances decontamination is useful, and whether decontamination creates any secondary negative consequences, such as causing the chemicals to reach other people in the decontamination area.
 
Decontamination products under evaluation initially will include common household and industrial detergents and cleansers in the United States that rapidly remove chemical agents such as nerve agents and sulfur mustard from exposed skin surfaces. These products will be tested under different conditions such as varying temperatures, flow rates, and volumes of water following chemical agent exposure.
 
“The ultimate goal of this work is to support development of scientifically grounded, evidence-based guidance for mass decontamination applicable to U.S. conditions following a chemical event,” said Robin Robinson, Ph.D., director of ASPR’s Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA). “Decontamination is a first line medical countermeasure which can reduce the need for other medical countermeasures, so we are excited to be able to work with the University of Hertfordshire on this important project.”
 
BARDA’s advanced research and development program for medical countermeasures against chemical threats focuses on developing products and procedures that can reduce the effects of chemical injury, especially those that are effective after someone has already been exposed to a chemical.
 
BARDA continues to seek proposals to develop new products or repurpose pharmaceuticals already in clinical use for other indications. Proposals are also sought for improved diagnostic tools that can be used in the field to quantify the chemical agents a person has inhaled, absorbed, or ingested during a chemical accident or attack. Proposals are accepted through the Broad Agency Announcement BARDA-CBRN-BAA-12-100-SOL-00011 at the Federal Business Opportunities website (www.fbo.gov)
 
BARDA, an agency within HHS’ Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), provides a comprehensive integrated portfolio approach to the advanced research and development, innovation, acquisition, and manufacturing of vaccines, drugs, therapeutics, diagnostic tools, and non-pharmaceutical products for public health emergency threats.  These threats include chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) agents, pandemic influenza, and emerging infectious diseases.
 
HHS is the principal federal agency for protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services, especially for those who are least able to help themselves. To learn more about HHS, visit www.hhs.gov. ASPR leads HHS in preparing the nation to respond to and recover from adverse health effects of emergencies, supporting communities’ ability to withstand adversity, strengthening health and response systems, and enhancing national health security.
 
To learn more about ASPR and preparedness, response and recovery from the health impacts of disasters, visit the HHS public health and medical emergency website, www.phe.gov. For more information about BARDA and the advanced research and development of medical countermeasures, visit www.medicalcountermeasures.gov.
 
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  • This page last reviewed: September 12, 2012