Use of particle counter system for the optimization of sampling ,identification and decontamination procedures for biological aerosols dispersion in confined environment

Abstract In a CBRNe (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and explosive) scenario, biological agents hardly allow efficient detection/identification because of the incubation time that provides a lag in symptoms outbreak following their dissemination. The detection of atmospheric dispersion of biological agents (i.e.: toxins, viruses, bacteria and so on) is a key issue for the safety of people and security of environment. Another fundamental aspect is related to the efficiency of the sampling method, which leads to the identification of the agent released, in fact an effective sampling method is needed either to identify the contamination and to check for the decontamination procedure. Environmental monitoring is one of the ways to improve fast detection of biological agents; for instance, particle counters with the ability of discriminating between biological and non-biological particles are used for a first warning when the amount of biological particles exceeds a particular threshold. Nevertheless, these systems are not able to distinguish between pathogen and non-pathogen organisms, thus, classical “laboratory” assays are still required to unambiguously identify the particle which triggered the warning signal. In this work, a combination of commercially available equipment for detection and identification of the atmospheric dispersion of biological agents was evaluated in partnership between the Italian Army, the Department of Industrial Engineering and the School of Medicine and Surgery of the University of Rome “Tor Vergata”. The aim of this work, whose results are presented here, was to conduce preliminary studies on the dynamics of biological aerosols fallout after its dispersion, to improve detection, sampling and identification techniques. This will help minimizing the impact of the release of biological agents, guarantee environmental, and people safety and security