Public Resource Documents

The Decontamination and Consequence Management Division (DCMD) of EPA's National Homeland Security Research Center (NHSRC) held its first "Workshop on Decontamination, Cleanup, and Associated Issues for Sites Contaminated With Chemical, Biological, or Radiological Materials" at the International Trade Center Building in Washington, D.C., February 23 to 25, 2005. The workshop opened with a plenary session. The subsequent 31 presentations addressed 5 topics: the decontamination process, decontamination technologies, research and development, lessons learned, and radiological contamination. The speakers represented national laboratories and federal agencies such as EPA, the Department of Homeland Security, the Postal Service, the Department of Defense, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the FBI; academia; and key companies conducting research or providing decontamination technologies and services. Representatives from Great Britain provided the United Kingdom perspective on decontamination issues.  more

It is the policy of the United States to draw upon the considerable potential of the scientific community in the public and private sectors to address our medical countermeasure requirements relating to CBRN threats. Our Nation will use a two-tiered approach for development and acquisition of medical countermeasures, which will balance the immediate need to provide a capability to mitigate the most catastrophic of the current CBRN threats with long-term requirements to develop more flexible, broader spectrum countermeasures to address future threats. Our approach also will support regulatory decisions and will permit us to address the broadest range of current and future CBRN threats.  more

Governor Rod R. Blagojevich today announced a new guide for Illinois schools that provides them the tools they need to proactively plan and prepare for a pandemic flu outbreak. The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) jointly prepared the School Guidance During an Influenza Pandemic document.  more

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has expanded the Water Contaminant Information Tool (WCIT) to assist water utilities, public health officials and federal, state and local agencies to better plan for and respond to intentional or accidental contamination events.  more

Trust for America's Health (TFAH) today released the fourth annual "Ready or Not? Protecting the Public's Health from Disease, Disasters, and Bioterrorism," which found that five years after the September 11th and anthrax tragedies, emergency health preparedness is still inadequate in America.  more

Description: The report, "Training for Terrorism-Related Conditions in Hospitals: United States, 2003-2004," is based on data from the annual National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, conducted by CDC's National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS).  more

Over the last five years, the Joint Commission has studied a variety of disasters that have impacted health care organizations through debriefings with health care organizations impacted by these disasters, discussions with emergency management experts, service on national emergency management panels, and review of the contemporary emergency management literature.  more