CSS supports several Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) campuses throughout the U.S. On-site CSS personnel are trained in hazardous material spill response and clean-up and provide this support within buildings and throughout campuses. As part of our contract with the CDC Hazardous Waste Program, CSS hazmat-trained employee owners are responsible for safely collecting, storing, and shipping hazardous and universal waste, as well as training laboratorians in spill control procedures, universal waste, and the Center for Disease Control’s online waste ticketing system.
A recent automobile collision on the CDC Atlanta campus caused battery acid, oil, transmission fluid, windshield wiper fluid, and antifreeze to spill into the roadway. Following the scene being secured by first responders, CSS hazmat-trained staff responded to and cleaned up the hazardous material to prevent further contamination. They used absorbent pads specifically designed for use in hazmat clean-up, and universal absorbent pillows to prevent chemicals from spreading and running into storm drains.
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Studying Mesophotic Coral Health
Mesophotic coral can live at depths of 500 feet below the ocean surface. Even at this depth, some of the mesophotic corals in the Gulf of Mexico were affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010. Our coral scientists supporting NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science are studying the extent of this impact.…
Developing a Database for Ecosystem Service Models
CSS scientists have been major developers and contributors to the online U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s EcoService Models Library (ESML) database since its inception in 2012. The ESML database contains detailed but concise descriptions of ecosystem service models to facilitate the selection of models by ecosystem scientists for a variety of management and research applications. The…
Large-Scale Decontamination Proves Successful
In the spring of 2022, we worked with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Coast Guard on a project called Analysis for Coastal Operational Resiliency-Wide Area Demonstration (WAD) which tests large scale decontamination following the release of surrogate bioagents. The team conducted a WAD at a military base in Virginia to test decontamination…