PRESORTED STANDARD OFFICE OF RESEARCH

POSTAGE & FEES PAID www.epa.gov AND DEVELOPMENT

National
PERMIT NO. G-35
The National Homeland Security Research Center
Homeland
As part of USEPA’s Office of Research and Development, the National Homeland Security Research Center
(NHSRC) provides products and expertise to improve our nation’s ability to respond to and recover from

Security
environmental contamination caused by terrorist attacks on our nation’s water infrastructure, buildings
EPA

and outdoor areas.

Research NHSRC conducts and reports on research

related to

Center • D
etecting and containing contamination from
chemical, biological and radiological agents
Advancing Our • A
ssessing and mitigating exposure to
Nation’s Security contamination

Through Science • U
nderstanding the health effects of
contamination
• Developing risk-based exposure advisories
and contamination cleanup goals
• Decontaminating and disposing of
contaminated materials
NHSRC has developed a field-portable water sample
ultrafiltration device that concentrates pathogens, thus
increasing the likelihood of detecting them.

NHSRC works closely with a variety of stakeholders

National Homeland Security Research Center

and experts to develop products that include

• S
 tandardized analytical methods for use by
Office of Research and Development

a nationwide network of federal and state

laboratories following a terrorist attack
• R
 esearch on contamination warning systems for
Environmental Protection

water utilities
Penalty for Private Use
Cincinnati, OH 45268

• M
 odels which integrate existing public health
EPA/600/F-05/019A

www.epa.gov/nhsrc

surveillance data and drinking water quality

Official Business

measurements
United States

EPA’s rotary kiln incinerator simulator is used by

March 2009

NHSRC to investigate the destruction of contaminated • M

 ethods and technical support for treatment,
building materials.
Agency

decontamination and disposal of contaminants

$300

and debris
For additional information, visit our
• Technology testing and evaluation reports
web site at www.epa.gov/nhsrc
Office of Research and Development
National Homeland Security Research Center or email nhsrc@epa.gov • Research on effective risk communication
 NATIONAL HOMELAND SECURITY RESEARCH CENTER
www.epa.gov

How NHSRC Does Its Work

NHSRC works closely with other scientists, engineers and government agencies, as well as security specialists, public health officials, industry leaders and emergency responders to:

Help detect and limit contamination by Help decontaminate by Help dispose of contaminated
materials by
• D
eveloping models that predict how • E
valuating reliable, real-time monitoring systems • D
eveloping cost-effective tools and procedures
contamination spreads in buildings, outdoor for detecting contamination in water and for containment, treatment, decontamination and • I dentifying and reporting on the best practices for
environments and drinking water distribution wastewater systems removal of chemical, biological and radiological disposal of debris contaminated with chemical,
systems agents biological and radiological agents
• D
eveloping software tools to assist water utilities
• R
esearching exposure advisory levels for in mitigating contamination incidents • P
roviding the scientific basis for the development • Developing decision support tools to provide
resumed use of water resources and re-entry into of risk-based cleanup goals options for treatment and disposal of debris from
• C
reating computer-based tools for estimating
facilities and outdoor areas homeland security incidents
potential damage to drinking water and • T
esting, evaluating and optimizing commercially
• D
eveloping, compiling and verifying standardized wastewater systems from explosives available and emerging decontamination • E
valuating techniques that support the
sampling and analytical methods used to define technologies remediation of water and wastewater, buildings
• Developing technologies that immobilize
the extent of contamination or the effectiveness and outdoor environments
contaminants on surfaces • E
valuating the impact of decontamination
of decontamination
technologies on sensitive materials and
electronics

Much of NHSRC’s water related research can help water utilities detect, respond to The wind tunnel at the Research Triangle Park facility is used to study NHSRC develops and tests various decontamination methods to determine how well
and recover from contamination events. dispersion of contaminants. they work and their effect on building materials and sensitive equipment. Tenting
buildings contains the fumigant used to inactivate or destroy contaminants.