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Remediation of a Biological Weapons Attack

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Defense Against Biological Attacks

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Abstract

This chapter provides an overview of the scientific, policy, and operational issues involved in environmental remediation of a biological weapons attack, with a significant focus on US programs and policies. The chapter introduces the topic of biological remediation by defining the process and exploring biological agents of concern and their persistence in the environment. Past biological remediation examples are briefly discussed, followed by a review of past and current remediation policies and practices, as well as knowledge gaps and future research direction.

Crystal Watson is a Senior Scholar and Assistant Professor at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.

Francisco J. Cruz is a Biologist with the US Environmental Protection Agency. He holds a BA in Biological Sciences from the University of Delaware and a MS in Biodefense from George Mason University. Mr. Cruz was also a 2016 Fellow in the Emerging Leaders in Biosecurity Initiative through the Center for Health Security.

This work is not a product of the United States Government or the United States Environmental Protection Agency, and the author (Mr. Cruz) did not conduct this work in any governmental capacity. The views expressed are those of the authors only and do not necessarily represent those of the United States or the US EPA.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Crystal R. Watson

  2. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, USA

    Francisco J. Cruz

Authors
  1. Crystal R. Watson
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  2. Francisco J. Cruz
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Crystal R. Watson .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Molecular Biology Unit, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India

    Sunit K. Singh

  2. NIH/NIAID, Division of Clinical Research, Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD, USA

    Jens H. Kuhn

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Watson, C.R., Cruz, F.J. (2019). Remediation of a Biological Weapons Attack. In: Singh, S., Kuhn, J. (eds) Defense Against Biological Attacks. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-03053-7_6

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