Guidance
for Protecting Building Environments
from Airborne Chemical, Biological, or Radiological Attacks
May,
2002
DHHS (NIOSH) Pub No. 2002-139
This
document identifies actions that a building owner or manager
can implement without undue delay to enhance occupant protection
from an airborne chemical, biological, or radiological attack.
This document
includes information about:
What
you can do
Specific
recommendations
Things
not to do
Physical
security
Ventilation
and filtration
Maintenance,
administration, and training
This
document is also available in PDF format 2002-139.pdf
40 pages, 841kb
The
Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 [Public Law
91-596] assures so far as possible every working man and
woman in the Nation safe and healthful working conditions.
The Act charges the National Institute for Occupational
Safety and Health (NIOSH) with conducting research and
making science based recommendations to prevent work-related
illness, injury, disability, and death.
On
October 8, 2001, the President of the United States established
by executive order the Office of Homeland Security (OHS),
which is mandated "to develop and coordinate the
implementation of a comprehensive national strategy to
secure the United States from terrorist threats or attacks."
In January 2002, the OHS formed the Interagency Workgroup
on Building Air Protection under the Medical and Public
Health Preparedness Policy Coordinating Committee of the
OHS. The Workgroup includes representatives from agencies
throughout the Federal government, including NIOSH, which
is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
With
U.S. workers facing potential hazards associated with
chemical, biological, or radiological terrorism, the missions
of the OHS and NIOSH overlap. As with most hazards, there
are preventive steps that can reduce the likelihood and
mitigate the impact of terrorist threats. Tried and proven
principles in the control of airborne contaminants can
be joined with similarly focused safety and security principles
to provide guidance on how we design and operate our building
environments. This document is the result of recent building
vulnerability assessments conducted by NIOSH, as well
as significant content and review recommendations provided
by Workgroup members.
Prevention
is the cornerstone of public and occupational health.
This document provides preventive measures that building
owners and managers can implement promptly to protect
building air environments from a terrorist release of
chemical, biological, or radiological contaminants. These
recommendations, focusing on short term actions, are only
the beginning of a process to develop more comprehensive
guidance. Working with the Building Air Protection Workgroup,
as well as partners in the public and private sectors,
NIOSH will continue to build on this effort. This document
is a useful first step in the process.
Kathleen
M. Rest, Ph.D., M.P.A. Acting Director
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Abbreviations
ATSDR
Agency
for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry CBR chemical, biological,
or radiological
HVAC
heating,
ventilating, and air-conditioning
VAV
variable
air volume
CCTV
closed-circuit
television
HEPA
high
efficiency particulate air
NIOSH
National
Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
OHS
Office
of Homeland Security
PCC
Policy
Coordinating Committee
Acknowledgments
The
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
(NIOSH) developed this document in cooperation with the
Interagency Workgroup on Building Air Protection. NIOSH
engineers Kenneth R. Mead, M.S., P.E. and Michael G. Gressel,
Ph.D., C.S.P. are the principal authors. The Interagency
Workgroup on Building Air Protection was formed under
the Medical and Public Health Preparedness Policy Coordinating
Committee (PCC) of the Office of Homeland Security (OHS).
The Workgroups purpose is to focus on building air
protection issues associated with an airborne chemical,
biological, or radiological (CBR) attack. Workgroup participants
provided guidance and direction at several points during
this documents development. Their diverse expertise
and perspectives resulted in a set of real-world recommendations
intended to increase protection of building environments
from a terrorists chemical, biological, or radiological
attack. Participants on the Workgroup and their agency
affiliations may be found in Appendix A.
In
addition to the efforts of the Workgroup, the contributions
of the NIOSH Research Team on Building Vulnerabilities
are greatly appreciated. This team was augmented by representatives
from Sandia National Laboratories and the Agency for Toxic
Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). Many of the recommendations
found in this document originated from the numerous vulnerability
assessments conducted by this team. Members of the team
are listed in Appendix B.
Anne
Votaw, Pauline Elliott, Anne Stirnkorb, and Dick Carlson
(NIOSH) provided editorial support, produced the camera
ready copy, and prepared the graphics.
Ordering
Information
To
receive documents or other information about occupational
safety and health topics, contact the National Institute
for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) at
NIOSH
Publications Dissemination
4676 Columbia Parkway
Cincinnati, OH 45226-1998