New national standard approved for bioterror safety | 08.08.2006 | 06:35:33 | Views: 5585 | ID: August 8 '06: A new national standard for the collection, packaging, and subsequent testing of potentially dangerous powders like the anthrax virus has been created according to officials, Science Daily reported Monday. The new standard will allow first responders and federal authorities to test the powders in the field for forensic analysis. "The purpose of the sampling procedure is to have a standard that is accepted and followed by emergency responders for suspicious powder collection in order to reduce exposure risks, reduce variability associated with sample handling and analysis, and increase the reliability of sampling visible powders from nonporous surfaces," ScienceDaily found. The standard was developed by AOAC International, an international scientific research organization. However, "The new standard is applicable to nonporous surfaces only and incorporates reference guidance for packaging and transport of suspicious powders to comply with all appropriate federal regulations regarding bio-safety and bio-security," ScienceDaily reported. The standard also has been approved by the Science & Technology Directorate at the Department of Homeland Security. Bret M. Coursey, the director of DHS S&T told ScienceDaily, "The development of this AOAC/ASTM standard represents an important step towards building consensus between the emergency responder communities and the federal agencies on national standards for responding to possible terrorist attacks."
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