Research Highlights

Protocols for All Hazards Receipt Facilities

Public safety and law enforcement officials are often required to determine whether suspicious materials pose a risk to the public or the environment. Qualified personnel should screen such materials in the field to determine whether special handling and transportation is required; however, laboratories sometimes receive samples without knowing whether adequate field screening was performed. Such situations have led to requests for All Hazard Receipt Facilities (AHRFs), where technicians can receive and screen unknown materials for risk agent categories prior to admitting these materials into the main laboratory facility.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) have combined efforts to develop, construct, and implement AHRFs for prescreening unknown and potentially hazardous samples. AHRFs provide initial screening results that can be used to determine whether a specific laboratory can or should be used for further sample analysis. In order to ensure the safety of laboratory personnel and to screen samples in an appropriate manner, a protocol document has been developed that identifies how to handle these samples.

Protocol Information

EPA, in conjunction with DHS, has developed the All Hazards Receipt Facility Screening Protocol to be used as a guide for screening samples in the AHRFs. The protocol is intended for in-process screening of unknown samples for chemical, explosive, and radiological hazards, which helps prevent exposing laboratory facilities and staff to contamination and injury. The standardized protocol includes instructions on sample receipt, container screening, and direct screening of samples received at each AHRF.

The AHRF screening protocol has been assessed by EPA at the two AHRF prototypes - located at EPA Region 1 Laboratory in North Chelmsford, Massachusetts and at the New York State Public Health Laboratory, New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) in Albany, New York. The results of the assessment have been used to refine the protocol. The protocol document will continue to be updated annually to ensure that it contains the most up-to-date information on screening processes.

The protocol is also available on the APHL Web page.

Contact: Erin Silvestri

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