Biothreat Agents
The Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) Consequence Management Advisory Team (CMAT) provides biological subject matter expert support to the 10 EPA Regions and other EPA program offices. CBRN CMAT has developed critical key partnerships with the stakeholders involved in CBRN responses and maintains an excellent rapport with federal, state, local, Tribal, and academic partners.
Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Consequence Management Advisory Team (pdf)
What are Biothreat Agents?
Biothreat agents are either biological microorganisms like viruses, bacteria, or fungi, or toxic substances produced by living organisms that are deliberately used to cause disease or death in humans, animals, or plants. The potential spectrum of bioterrorism ranges from hoaxes and actual use of agents by individuals or groups against others, to state-sponsored terrorism that employs biothreat agents and delivery systems that can produce mass casualties.
The Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on their Destruction, otherwise known as the Biological Weapons Convention, which entered into force in 1975, does not list specific biological agents or toxins as prohibited, but does not allow the development, production, stockpile, or acquisition of biological agents (including viruses) or toxins as weapons or for other hostile purposes.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services (APHIS) jointly manage the Federal Select Agent Program, which regulates the possession, use, and transfer of biological select agents and toxins. There are currently 68 biological agents and toxins that have the potential to pose a severe threat to human, animal, and/or plant health on the Select Agents and Toxins list.
CBRN CMAT Biothreat Agent Subject Matter Experts
CBRN CMAT biothreat agent subject matter experts provide 24/7 scientific and technical expertise for all phases of consequence management, including sampling, decontamination, and clearance. CBRN CMAT conducts threat awareness activities such as operational tests and simulations to understand the behavior of biological agents in the environment and to help inform strategies for characterization and remediation, such as screening, sampling and analysis, decontamination, waste management, and personnel safety.
CBRN CMAT supports the local, state, and federal consequence management response to biological agent incidents and utilizes threat awareness to inform the requirements for decontamination equipment and approaches for protecting communities. Our subject matter experts are available for both consultations and on-site assistance.
CBRN CMAT Biothreat Agent Assets
Environmental Response Laboratory Network
The Environmental Response Laboratory Network (ERLN), managed by CBRN CMAT, is a comprehensive, all-hazard/all-environmental media laboratory network that can be activated as needed to provide analytical data of known quality in support of environmental emergency response and recovery actions. The ERLN integrates the capabilities of public sector laboratories with accredited private sector laboratories and can be used to support incidents of any scale during the preparedness, response, and remediation phases.
Intergovernmental Partnerships
CBRN CMAT maintains laboratory support capabilities for preparedness and response to biological agent incidents through interagency governmental partnerships. These partner laboratories maintain the capabilities for environmental sample analysis for specific biothreat agents, with the flexibility to respond to emerging threats.
EPA Biological Agent Workgroups
EPA National Biological Preparedness Workgroup
CBRN CMAT’s biological subject matter experts co-chair the EPA’s National Biological Preparedness Workgroup. The workgroup’s mission is to enhance the preparedness and technical capabilities of EPA’s emergency response resources to respond to incidents involving biological agents and biotoxins. This is accomplished through assembling a highly experienced and technical group of Regional On-Scene Coordinators, Special Teams, Headquarters, Office of Land and Emergency Management, and Office of Research and Development personnel to provide cross-regional and cross-programmatic coordination, information sharing, reach back support, and standardization of procedures.
NRT Biological Quick Reference Guide Workgroup
CBRN CMAT’s biological subject matter experts also chair the National Response Team (NRT) Biological Quick Reference Guide (QRG) Workgroup. The workgroup is made up of members from across the federal government, including EPA, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Department of State, U.S. Department of Defense, Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and U.S. Department of Transportation, who collaborate to draft and update agent-specific reference guides intended for use by EPA or Coast Guard responders in the first 24-48 hours of a biological agent incident or release.
To access the Biological QRGs, see the EPA CBRN Quick Reference Guides webpage or the NRT Biological QRG webpage.