July 19, 2006—ASTM International, one of the largest voluntary standards development organizations in the world, has announced a new standard for collecting, packaging and transporting visible powder samples suspected of being biological agents.
The standard incorporates reference guidance to comply with appropriate federal regulations regarding biosafety and biosecurity, and is applicable to nonporous surfaces only.
The development of a sample collection standard was initiated by the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in order to address the problems associated with haphazard sample collection and screening. DHS assigned the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to coordinate and lead a task group whose charge was to develop a standard protocol for the collection of powders that are suspected biological agents.
Officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Center for Disease Control, the Environmental Protection Agency, the International Association of Fire Chiefs, health departments of U.S. states, various segments of the US Army, and others helped develop the standard.
The standard involves a two-step procedure that is performed after an initial risk assessment is conducted and a visible powder is deemed a credible biological threat. The first step of the procedure, or Method A, covers the bulk collection and packaging of the suspicious visible powders from solid nonporous surfaces. Bulk samples are collected and transported in a manner that permits public health and safety, and law enforcement agencies to obtain uncompromised samples for confirmatory analysis and forensic testing. The second step, or Method B, covers swab sampling of residual suspicious powders for presumptive on-site biological screening.
To learn more about the standard, visit the ASTM Web site.
