Independent Testing Laboratory AssociationJune 16 2010

Objectives For Today

• Provide an overview of the Integrated Consortium of Laboratory Networks (ICLN)

• Explain what the Environmental Response Laboratory Network (ERLN) is and how it fits into the ICLN

• Explore the Water Laboratory Alliance (WLA), its role under the ERLN, and how environmental laboratories are involved in the network

• Understand EPA’s Water Security Tools

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National Laboratory Initiatives

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Integrated Consortium of Laboratory Networks (ICLN)

• ICLN created in response to:– Homeland Security Presidential Directives (HSPDs) – Need for agency coordination

• Goal: Create a U.S. Homeland Security infrastructure that would provide an interoperable system of (Federal) laboratory response networks

• ICLN is hosted by Department of Homeland Security (DHS)

• ICLN was created in 2005– Ten federal agencies are signatories: USDA, DoC,

DoD, DoE, HHS, DHS, DoL, DoJ, DoS, and EPA

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Exec SecDHS

Network Coordinating Group (NCG)DHS Chair

Joint Leadership Council (JLC)(Assistant Secretary Level)

DHS Chair

TETechnical Experts

ERLNEnvironmental

Response Laboratory

Network

NAHLN National

Animal Health Laboratory

Network

LRNLaboratory Response Network

NPDN National Plant

Diagnostic Network

Integrated Consortium of Laboratory Networks (ICLN)

FERNFood

Emergency Response Network

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Responsible Federal Agency Matrix

 

Chemical Biological Radiochemical

Lab Support to Phase of Response Lab Support to Phase of Response Lab Support to Phase of Response

Sample Matrix

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Human Clinical

HHS HHS FBI HHS HHS HHS FBI HHS HHS FBI

Environmental EPA EPA FBI Multiple Multiple EPA FBI EPADOE/ EPA

EPA FBI

FoodUSDA/ HHS

USDA/ HHS

USDA/ HHS

FBIUSDA/ HHS

HHS/ USDA

USDA/ HHS

FBIUSDA/ HHS

USDA/ HHS

USDA/ HHS

FBI

Animal USDA USDA FBI USDA USDA USDA FBI USDA USDA FBI

Plant USDA USDA USDA FBI USDA USDA USDA FBI USDA USDA FBI

Drinking Water EPA EPA EPA FBI EPA EPA EPA FBI EPA EPA EPA FBIWhite: capability is/can be established within the department. Green: capability in place through agreements. Yellow: capability not in place, agreements needed.

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What is the ERLN ?

• Network of Federal, Public, and Commercial Laboratories

• Member of the ICLN• Addresses chemical, radiological, and

limited biological threats during environmental responses and nationally significant incidents

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What does the ERLN Do?

• Provides an all hazards/all environmental media laboratory network – Chemical Agents (including toxic industrial chemicals and

chemical warfare agents)– Biological Agents (no select agents)– Radiological Agents

• Addresses preparedness, response, remediation, and recovery activities

• Sets procedures/practices that allow for day-to-day use in order to seamlessly support incidents of any scale

• Organizes a network of laboratories with known quality

• Provides support to the response community

• Operates under Incident Command System (ICS) structures

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1ERLN - Phase 1

PHASE 1: 18 member laboratories • 15 EPA Regional and Program Laboratories

– Region 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10– NAREL– NEIC– Pesticides Environmental Chemistry Branch– Pesticides Microbiology Laboratory Branch– Pesticides Analytical Chemistry Branch– R&IE National Laboratory

• 2 State Laboratories – FL DEP – VA DCLS

• 1 Federal Laboratory– LLNL

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2PHASE 2 solicitation (September 2009): Open for

State, Federal, local, and commercial laboratories

• Goals:

– Build a comprehensive list of laboratories and capabilities

– Enhanced national capacity for environmental analyses

– Analytical Service Requester (ASR) has more laboratory alternatives to best meet their needs

• Anticipated Membership: Could include over 700 laboratories

– Easily accessible information: Launch of ERLN Website (www.epa.gov/erln)

ERLN - Phase 2

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ERLN Tools

Laboratory CompendiumEPA’s Compendium of Environmental Testing Laboratories (Laboratory Compendium) - an online database of environmental laboratories containing each laboratory's specific capabilities to analyze chemical, biological, and radiological contaminants (www.epa.gov/erln)

Standardized Analytical MethodsStandardized Analytical Methods for Environmental Restoration Following Homeland Security Events (SAM) identifies analytical methods to be used by laboratories tasked with performing analyses of environmental samples following a homeland security event. (http://www.epa.gov/sam)

WebEDRThe Web-based Electronic Data Review (WebEDR) application performs automated data evaluation of ERLN electronic data deliverables (EDDs) against specified measurement quality objectives (MQOs)

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What is the WLA?

The Water Laboratory Alliance (WLA) provides the Water Sector with an integrated nationwide network of laboratories

The WLA is composed of drinking water, public health, environmental, and select commercial laboratories

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Water

Environmental Response Laboratory Network (ERLN)

Water Laboratory Alliance

The WLA is Part of the ERLN

The WLA focuses solely on water and is an integral part of EPA’s ERLN

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Why Create the Water Laboratory Alliance?

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What does the WLA Address?

This network of laboratories offers capabilities and capacity to analyze drinking water in the event of:

• natural,• intentional, or• unintentional water contamination

Involving:

• chemical,• biological, or• radiochemical contaminants

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Actual Contamination Incidents

• Alamosa, Colorado (Salmonella)

• Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Cryptosporidium)

• Blackstone, Massachusetts (Intentional contamination)

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Alamosa, Colorado

• Alamosa, Colorado (Salmonella)

– More than 200 residents may have been sickened (at least 68 confirmed sick through laboratory tests, and 12 were hospitalized)

– Bottled water and boil water advisories issued by public health department

– Water system flushed with concentrated chlorine (system closed for 1 week)

– Source of contamination may have been animal waste that found its way into a water storage tank

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Milwaukee, Wisconsin

• Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Cryptosporidium)

– 1993 incident is probably the largest waterborne disease outbreak documented in U.S.• hundreds of thousands sickened; more than 100 deaths

– Clinical manifestations included watery diarrhea, abdominal cramps, fever, and vomiting

– Cryptosporidium oocysts apparently passed through the filtration system of a water-treatment plant; pathogen source never confirmed

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Blackstone, Massachusetts

• Blackstone, Massachusetts (Intentional contamination)

– Vandals broke into property and accessed water storage tank

– Empty 5-gallon container found on top of tank (contents unknown)

– Do not use advisory issued; schools closed

– System flushed water mains

– Contamination determined to not be serious

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Water Laboratory Alliance Response Plan

• Establishes a national, comprehensive laboratory response approach to drinking water contamination events

• Provides laboratories with a structure for a systematic, coordinated response to a drinking water contamination incident

• Scalable to address evolution of an incident from initial response to full ICS for a significant event

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Validated by Exercises

• The WLA-RP was developed based on similar elements of 11 regional laboratory response plans (RLRPs)

• The RLRPs were tested and refined through 11 Table Top Exercises (TTXs)

• The revised RLRPs were further tested through the 11 functional exercises

• The WLA-RP was tested through a Full-Scale Exercise (FSE) of laboratory response

• The WLA-RP will be the featured topic of the 2010 WLA Security Summit TTX - June 16-17, 2010 in San Francisco

WLA-RP

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WLA-RP Elements

• Laboratory roles and responsibilities, including support to first responders

• Laboratory coordination

• Communication and logistics

• Sample brokerage, tracking, and transport

• Sample analyses – field screening, rapid, and confirmatory

• QA/QC

• Chain of custody

• Data review and validation

• Data reporting and storage22

WLA Resources and Tools

• Water Contaminant Information Tool (WCIT)

• Sampling Guidance for Unknown Contaminants in Drinking Water

• Web site of water tools and protocols http://cfpub.epa.gov/safewater/watersecurity/index.cfm

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WCIT

Water Contaminant Information Tool (WCIT)

• Password-protected on-line database with information for contaminants of concern that pose a serious threat if introduced into drinking water and/or wastewater

• Provides drinking water-specific data compiled in a single location that can be accessed by the water sector to plan for and respond to drinking water contamination incidents

• Recently added nine new contaminants

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How Can WCIT Be Used?

Recovery“Return-to-

Service”After a

Contamination Event

DetectionThreat

Discovery/Threat

Assessment

Prevention BeforeContamination

Events

Response During a Contamination

Event25

Sampling Guidance

• Integrates sample collection, preservation, and transport procedures

• Provides an example of what is required for a comprehensive sampling program

• Supplements emergency response plans

• Includes helpful resources, including approaches to collaborate with other agencies

Sampling Guidance for Unknown Contaminants in Drinking Water

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Contamination Scenario

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• Utility, 911, and hospitals receive calls, complaints– Water smells of sulfur or “rotten

eggs”

• Reported symptoms:– Blurred vision– Headaches– Breathing difficulties– Vomiting/diarrhea– Convulsions– Cognitive impairment

Contamination Scenario

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Information needed for this Scenario

• Medical

• Availability

• Contaminant Profile

• Fate and Transport Information

• Toxicity/Medical Information

• Analytical and Screening Methods

• Treatment Method

• Infrastructure Decontamination Procedures

• Risk Communication

• Risk Calculation29

Contamination Response

In this hypothetical contamination scenario WCIT will provide information to the following entities:

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• Emergency Responders – Field Methods

• Medical and Public Health Officials – Toxicity Information

• Laboratories – Analysis information

• Water Utilities – Treatment and Decontamination

Search for the Contaminant

Lannate SP

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Search Results

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Contaminant Profile

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Obtain Laboratory Methods

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Obtain Laboratory Methods: NEMI-CBR

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Obtain Laboratory Methods: NEMI-CBR

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Laboratory Compendium

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Laboratory Compendium

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Laboratory Compendium

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Laboratory Compendium

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Why should labs become members?

• Improved preparedness for analytical support to respond to any emergency situation

• Opportunity to participate in emergency response preparedness exercises

• Partnership with neighboring laboratories to support surge capacity needs

• Improved communications with peer laboratories

• Knowledge of neighboring laboratory analytical capability and available personnel

• Priority access to EPA water security-related training opportunities

Criteria to participate in ERLN/WLA

• Quality Management System – National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (NELAP)– International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 17025– Drinking Water Certification

• Agreement to use ERLN methods • Use reporting requirements• Have data and information security• Participate in proficiency testing program• Submit to audits as appropriate• Meet laboratory specific health and safety requirements• Participate in Laboratory Compendium

http://www.epa.gov/erln/join.html

June 25, 2010

ERLN

WLA

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Contact Information

For comments and questions on the WLA, please contact:

Pamela Bernard, US EPAOffice of Ground Water and Drinking WaterPhone: 202-564-1094E-Mail: bernard.pamela@epa.gov 

For comments and questions on the ERLN, please contact:

Schatzi Fitz-James, US EPAOffice of Emergency ManagementPhone: 202-564-2521E-Mail: fitz-james.schatzi@epa.gov

Regional Contact Information

Ernest Waterman, USEPANew England Regional LaboratoryPhone: 617-918-8632E-Mail: waterman.ernest@epa.gov