2021 Decon Conference Proceedings
The EPA International Decontamination Research and Development Conference was held virtually November 1-5, 2021. For more information on the conference view the conference website.
Below is the full agenda from the meeting, with links to abstract, summary, and Q&A documents.
A booklet of all the presentation abstracts is available to view or download: Decon Conference Abstracts Book
Monday, November 1 (Day 1)
Plenary Session
| Time | Session Title |
|---|---|
| 11:00 AM | Welcome Anne Mikelonis, Erin Silvestri & Viktoriya Plotkin, Conference Organizing Chairs | US Environmental Protection Agency |
| 11:05 AM | US EPA Office of Research and Development Introduction Wayne Cascio, Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator for Science for the Office of Research and Development | US Environmental Protection Agency |
| 11:10 AM | EPA's Role in Emergency Response and Homeland Security Janet McCabe, Deputy Administrator | US Environmental Protection Agency |
| 11:20 AM | 12th EPA International Decontamination Research & Development Conference: Highlighting What's to Come Gregory Sayles, Director of the Center for Environmental Solutions and Emergency Response | US Environmental Protection Agency |
| 11:30 AM | Plenary Talk 1 - Partnering for a Safer Tomorrow Nitin Natarajan, Deputy Director | Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency |
| 12:00 PM | Lunch and Learn: Student Networking Session & Panel Discussion
|
Concurrent Session 1
| Time | Decision Support Session Moderators: Timothy Boe & Terra Haxton |
Biological Agent Decontamination Session Moderators: Sanjiv Shah & Anne Mikelonis |
|---|---|---|
| 1:00 PM | An AI Algorithm to Locate Waterborne Chemical Attacks in Water Distribution Systems Ehsan Roshani | National Research Council of Canada |
ClearDecon: A Novel Surface Decontamination Solution for Chemical and Biological Warfare Agents Joseph Myers | Combat Capabilities Development Command, Chemical Biological Center |
| 1:15 PM | Withdrawn | Dahlgren Decon Skin Soap, Development and Testing of a Safe Skin and Surface Decontamination Soap Corey Collings | First Line Technology Evan Durnal | MRIGlobal Tony Buhr |
| 1:30 PM | The Wide Area Decontamination Tool Emily Peraza | Battelle Memorial Institute |
Inactivation of Bacillus anthracis Spores on Surfaces with Ultraviolet Light Produced with a Low-Pressure Mercury Lamp or Light Emitting Diode Lamp Joseph Wood | US Environmental Protection Agency |
| 1:45 PM | Clean or Replace? Decontamination Framework for Firefighting Equipment and Hangers Matthew Magnuson | US Environmental Protection Agency |
Outdoor Systems Trial Using Full-Scale Agricultural Equipment for Wide Area Decontamination of Bacillus anthracis Surrogate Spores Ehsan Gazi | Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, Salisbury, UK |
| 2:00 PM | Question & Answer Session | Question & Answer Session |
Poster Session
| Time | Session Title |
|---|---|
| 2:15 PM | View the full List of Posters. |
| 3:30 PM | Day 1 Adjourns |
Tuesday, November 2 (Day 2)
Plenary Session
| Time | Session Title |
|---|---|
| 11:00 AM | Welcome & Introduction Christopher Frey, Deputy Assistant Administrator for Science Policy for the Office of Research and Development | US Environmental Protection Agency |
| 11:05 AM | Plenary Talk 2 - Social Science in Disaster: Tactics, Innovations, Results Kim Fortun | University of California - Irvine |
Concurrent Session 2
| Time | Insights and Applications of Social Science to Decontamination Session Moderators: Keely Maxwell & Amy Rice |
COVID-19 Research Efforts Session Moderators: Worth Calfee & Viktoriya Plotkin |
|---|---|---|
| 11:30 AM | Social Vulnerability and Resilience in Decontamination Research Kate McCarthy-Barnett & Dan McElhinney | Department of Homeland Security/Federal Emergency Management Agency |
Development of Rapid Viability RT-PCR (RV-RT-PCR) Method for Detection of Infectious SARS-CoV-2 Sanjiv Shah | US Environmental Protection Agency |
| 11:45 AM | Getting to Know Communities and Cultures for Remediation and Removal Actions Brittany Kiessling | US Environmental Protection Agency |
Environmental Surface Sampling for SARS-CoV-2 Christine Tomlinson | US Environmental Protection Agency |
| 12:00 PM | Building Equity in Resilience Planning Emily Eisenhauer (Post Doc), Meredith Fry & Laura Stargel | US Environmental Protection Agency |
Evaluating Aerosol Treatment Methods for Reducing the Risk of Exposure to Airborne Pathogens Katherine Ratliff | US Environmental Protection Agency |
| 12:15 PM | Water (De)contamination and the Cultural Construction of Risk in Urban Disadvantaged Unincorporated Communities Christian Wells | University of South Florida |
Swab and Stick Sponge Sampling for SARS-CoV-2 Detection on Surfaces Sang Don Lee | US Environmental Protection Agency |
| 12:30 PM | Question & Answer Session | Question & Answer Session |
| 1:00 PM | Virtual Lunch and Networking - Opportunity for COVID-19 Research Networking | |
Concurrent Session 3
| Time | Biological Agent Sampling & Analysis Methods Session Moderators: Sarah Taft & Joseph Wood |
Chemical Agent Sampling & Analysis Methods Session Moderators: Lukas Oudejans & Mallin Blaxall |
|---|---|---|
| 2:00 PM | Human Safe, Near-Field Infection Protection (NIP) for Continuous Pathogen Inactivation in Air and On Surfaces Ernest R. Blatchley III | XCMR Inc |
Strippable Coatings for Collection of Surface-Borne Trace Chemicals Kevin Beltis | TIAX LLC |
| 2:15 PM | Evaluation of Outdoor Surface Sample Collection and Analysis Methods for USCG Assets Scott Nelson | Battelle Memorial Institute |
Development of Methods and Comparative Analysis of Opiates by UPLC-MSMS and GC-TOF James Garcia | CSS/US Environmental Protection Agency |
| 2:30 PM | Sampling of Waste Materials from a Bacillus anthracis Release Incident Scott Nelson | Battelle Memorial Institute |
Soldier Vulnerabilities to Toxic Industrial Chemicals/Materials While in MOPP Gear Philip Gidley | US Army Engineer Research and Development Center |
| 2:45 PM | Use of Innovative Packaging to Facilitate On-Site Treatment of Waste from a Bacillus anthracis Release Incident Paul Lemieux | US Environmental Protection Agency |
Benzene Contamination of Drinking Water Systems following Wildfires: Remediation Research and Decision Support Matthew Magnuson | US Environmental Protection Agency |
| 3:00 PM | Question & Answer Session | Question & Answer Session |
| 3:15 PM | Day 2 Adjourns | |
Wednesday, November 3 (Day 3)
Plenary Session
| Time | Session Title |
|---|---|
| 11:00 AM | Welcome & Introduction David Travers, Director of the Water Security Division in the Office of Water | US Environmental Protection Agency |
| 11:05 AM | Plenary Talk 3 - Water Sector Risk & Resilience: Successes and Challenges Kevin Morley | American Water Works Association |
Concurrent Session 4
| Time | Water Research and Oil Spill Response Session Moderators: Jeff Szabo & James Goodrich |
COVID-19 Decontamination Research Efforts Session Moderators: John Archer & Lahne Mattas-Curry |
|---|---|---|
| 11:30 AM | Advances in Underwater Oil Plume Detection Capabilities Robyn Conmy | US Environmental Protection Agency |
Disinfection Efficacy Studies with HuCoV-229E, a Surrogate for SARS-CoV-2 Vipin Rastogi | US ARMY, Combat Capabilities Development Command, Chemical Biological Center |
| 11:45 AM | Understanding Hazards of Petroleum and Spill Response Agents in Inland Spills Mace Barron | US Environmental Protection Agency |
Disinfection of N-95 Filtering Facepiece Respirators Leroy Mickelsen | US Environmental Protection Agency |
| 12:00 PM | Differences in the Inactivation of Legionella pneumophila Serogroups Using UVC-LED Technology in Drinking Water Helen Buse | US Environmental Protection Agency Post Doc |
Mitigating Transmission by Maximizing Decontamination Resources in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic: One Healthcare Coalition’s Strategic Response Frances Grinstead | CURIS System, LLC |
| 12:15 PM | AMI for Detecting and Responding to Backflow and Tampering in a Water System Nelson Mix | US Public Health Service |
Decontamination of Covid-19 Vaccine Production Facility Emily Lorcheim | ClorDiSys Solutions, Inc |
| 12:30 PM | Question & Answer Session | Question & Answer Session |
| 1:00 PM | Lunch Break | |
Technology Cafe
Technology Cafe: Session A
2:00-2:30 PM
| Session Number | Technology Title & Presenter |
|---|---|
| 1 | Water Contaminant Information Tool (WCIT): A Tool for Water Contamination Incident Preparedness and Response Veronica Aponte-Morales | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency |
| 2 | Stochastic Infrastructure Remediation Model Tanvi Joshi | Battelle Memorial Institute |
| 3 | U.S. EPA’s Waste Estimation Support Tool (WEST) Paul Lemieux | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency |
| 4 | U.S. EPA's Disaster Debris Recovery Tool Lucy Stanfield | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency |
| 5 | The EPA Flooded Homes Website Keely Maxwell | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency |
Technology Cafe: Session B
2:30-3:00 PM
| Session Number | Technology Title & Presenter |
|---|---|
| 6 | Electrons Dispersion Filtration Michael Omary | APD Clean Water Technologies Group |
| 7 | Immersive Modular Preparedness Intelligent Tutor (IMPRINT) Austin Crumpton | Charles River Analytics |
| 8 | U.S. EPA’s Incident Waste Decision Support Tool (I-WASTE) Paul Lemieux | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency |
| 9 | U.S. EPA's Waste Staging and Logistics Tool Tim Boe | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency |
| 10 | The Feedback Loop in Decon - The Missing/Broken Link John Zour | In Our Gear |
Technology Cafe: Session C
3:00-3:30 PM
| Session Number | Technology Title & Presenter |
|---|---|
| 11 | Radiological Decontamination of Electronic and Opto-electronic Equipment Zakir Kazi | Defence Research & Development Canada (DRDC) |
| 12 | A Web-based GIS Application for Creating, Evaluating and Operationalizing Sampling Designs Molly Rodgers | Eastern Research Group |
| 13 | U.S. EPA’s All Hazards Waste Management Planning Tool Anna Tschursin | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency |
| 14 | The Environmental Resilience Tools Wizard Keely Maxwell | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency |
Thursday, November 4 (Day 4)
Plenary Session
| Time | Session Title |
|---|---|
| 11:00 AM | Welcome & Introduction Bruce Rodan, Associate Director for Science for the Office of Research and Development | US Environmental Protection Agency |
| 11:05 AM | Plenary Talk 4 - Disaster Predictions in Support of Response Preparedness in the Coastal Zone Rick Luettich | University of North Carolina |
Concurrent Session 5
| Time | Chemical Agent Decontamination Research Session Moderators: Stuart Willison & Matthew Magnuson |
Waste Management Session Moderators: Emily Snyder & Timothy Boe |
|---|---|---|
| 11:30 AM | The Assessment and Decontamination of an Opioid Contaminated Site and Establishment of California’s Standards Michael Polkabla | BioMax Environmental, Inc. |
Identifying and Improving Disaster Waste & Debris Management Decisions Marissa Matsler | Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education Research Participant with US Environmental Protection Agency |
| 11:45 AM | The Decontamination of Chemical Warfare Agents from Skin Using Zirconium Hydroxide Shawn Stevenson | Combat Capabilities Development Command, Chemical Biological Center |
Evaluation of Whole-Carcass Composting as a Disposal Option for African Swine Fever Virus (ASFV)-Infected Swine Lindsay Gabbert | Department of Homeland Security, Science & Technology |
| 12:00 PM | Model Simulations of Contaminant Dispersion through an Irregular Building Array Michael Pirhalla | US Environmental Protection Agency |
Bio-Inspired Engineering for Sustainable Remediation of Hazardous Waste Rouzbeh Tehrani | Temple University |
| 12:15 PM | In Vivo Efficacy of Rapid Skin Decontamination Protocols using the Reactive Skin Decontamination Lotion (RSDL) Kit Against VX Vivian Lau | Defence Research and Development Canada |
Assessment of Biosecurity of Using Horizontal Grinders to Enhance Composting to Improve Preparedness for African Swine Fever Virus Preston Burnette | Jacobs Technology, Inc. |
| 12:30 PM | Question & Answer Session | Question & Answer Session |
| 12:45 PM | Lunch Break and Virtual Session (by Invitation Only: Identifying New Opportunities to Create a Resilient Drinking Water and Wastewater Sector) Moderator: Marissa Lynch | US Environmental Protection Agency |
|
Concurrent Session 6
| Time | Biological Agent Decontamination Session Moderators: Mike Pirhalla & Erin Silvestri |
Radiological Research Studies Session Moderators: Lance Brooks & Charlena Bowling |
|---|---|---|
| 2:00 PM | Decontamination of a U.S. Coast Guard Vessel Contaminated with Bacillus Spores Shannon Serre | US Environmental Protection Agency |
Laboratory Study on the Efficacy of Air Phase Decontamination of Radioactive Particles Jose Mattei-Sosa | US Army, Engineer Research and Development Center |
| 2:15 PM | Efficacy of Household Disinfectants and Detergent-Based Cleaning Methods Against Coronaviruses Rachael Hardison | Battelle Memorial Institute |
Decision Tool to Support Objectives, Strategies, and Tactics in a Radiological Mitigation and Recovery Event Michael Kaminski | Argonne National Laboratory |
| 2:30 PM | Environmental Influences on the Resuspension of Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki Spores Jonathan Thornburg | RTI International |
Re-aerosolization of dense metal oxide simulating radiological contamination from military clothing Jeremy Slagley | Air Force Institute of Technology |
| 2:45 PM | Novel Technology to Reduce Risk of Viral Transmission in Enclosed Occupied Environments and Room Disinfection in Unoccupied Spaces Dan Lorch | METSS Corporation |
10 Years of Remediation Efforts in Fukushima Sang Don Lee | US Environmental Protection Agency |
| 3:00 PM | Question & Answer Session | Question & Answer Session |
| 3:15 PM | Day 4 Adjourns | |
Friday, November 5 (Day 5)
Plenary Session
| Time | Session Title |
|---|---|
| 11:00 AM | Welcome & Introduction Kathleen Salyer, Director of the Office of Emergency Management in the Office of Land and Emergency Management | US Environmental Protection Agency |
| 11:05 AM | Plenary Talk 5 - CDC COVID-19 Response: Grand Princess LCDR Elizabeth Wittry | Centers for Disease Control and Prevention |
Concurrent Session 7
| Time | COVID-19 Transportation Research Efforts Session Moderators: Shawn Ryan & Viktoriya Plotkin |
Hazard Response Session Moderators: Erin Silvestri & Amelia McCall |
|---|---|---|
| 11:30 AM | LA Metro’s Journey Through COVID – Exploring Technologies & Finding Practical Solutions Bob Spadafora | LA Metro Rail Fleet Services |
Hazardous and Contaminated Sites within Salt Marsh Migration Corridors in Rhode Island Erin Burman | Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education Research Participant with US Environmental Protection Agency |
| 11:45 AM | EPA Research to Support Reducing Environmental Transmission of COVID-19 Shawn Ryan, Kristen Willis & Worth Calfee | US Environmental Protection Agency |
Environmental Justice, Climate Catastrophe, and the Newark Water Crises Melinda Gonzalez | Institute for the Study of Global Racial Justice, Rutgers University |
| 12:00 PM | Stabilization/Containment of RDD/IND Particle Contamination to Enhance First Responder, Early Phase Worker, and Public Safety Ryan James | Battelle Memorial Institute |
|
| 12:15 PM | Repurposing Commercial-Off-the-Shelf (COTS) 3D Game Engines to Improve the Effectiveness and Efficiency of EPA's Response Efforts Timothy Boe | US Environmental Protection Agency |
|
| 12:30 PM | Question & Answer Session | Question & Answer Session |
| 12:45 PM | Lunch Break | |
Student Poster Award Ceremony & Closing
| Time | Session Title |
|---|---|
| 1:30 PM | Congratulations to the student poster competition winners!
1st Place: Nevine Amer |
| 2:00 PM | Closing Remarks Shawn Ryan, National Program Director for Homeland Security Research | US Environmental Protection Agency |
| 2:15 PM | Conference Adjourns |