FAQ
Sabre Frequently Asked Questions
- What is ClO2 and where is it used?
- What is Sabre's historical background in ClO2?
- How did Sabre become involved in the bio-terrorism response effort?
- What other experience does Sabre have in the bio-terrorism response arena?
- Does Sabre's ClO2 fumigation technology have applicability outside the bio-terrorism response arena?
Q. What is ClO2 and where is it used?
A. Chlorine dioxide is a water-soluble gas with a slight yellow-green color and an odor similar to that of chlorine. The chemistry of ClO2 is well established and documented through more than 70 years of safe utilization in a variety of industrial applications including:
- Disinfection of drinking water supplies
- Disinfection of wastewater flows
- Sterilization of pharmaceuticals and medical equipment
- Treatment of potentially infectious bio-medical waste
- Sanitization of food processing equipment
- Control of microbial growth in cooling water systems
- Preparation of food products such as flour, spices, shrimp, fruits and vegetables
- Bleaching of pulp to make paper products
- Elimination of odors from industrial processes and sewage systems
Chlorine dioxide was first used in the United States as a drinking water disinfectant in the mid 1940's. It is used around the world, but particularly in North America and Europe where ClO2 experiences ever-increasing use as a substitute for chlorine because it does not form carcinogenic trihalomethanes upon reaction with organic substances. Over four million pounds of ClO2 are produced and used each day in North America.
Q. What is Sabre's historical background in ClO2?
A. Sabre is a privately held company that specializes in large scale mobile ClO2 generation systems used in oil field applications, environmental remediation projects and similar short term, high volume applications. Sabre builds and maintains the only high capacity portable chlorine dioxide systems available in the world. Sabre personnel have over 25 years experience in the application of ClO2 as a disinfectant and oxidant in a variety of industries. Sabre is an industry leader in ClO2 technology for drinking water plants, with over 100 generation systems installed to date. Sabre is also a leader in the development of ClO2 gas phase applications, such as that used to eliminate Bacillus anthracis (i.e. anthrax) contamination from several large-scale public and private facilities following the October 2001 anthrax attacks.
Q. How did Sabre become involved in the bio-terrorism response effort?
A. Sabre was first contacted by the USEPA during the Capitol Hill anthrax response in October of 2001. USEPA recognized that ClO2, because of its strong antimicrobial properties and well-documented toxicological profile, might offer a superior alternative to conventional fumigants as a remedial solution for widespread anthrax spore contamination. USEPA also recognized that Sabre had a long history of technology development success in the area of ClO2 generation and application systems. Sabre was asked shortly thereafter to come to Washington, D.C. to assist in the response effort.
Sabre first conducted a series of fumigation chamber tests under the direction of USEPA's Emergency Response Team to verify the efficacy of ClO2 gas against various surrogate spore species. At the conclusion of these tests, and after a critical evaluation of many remedial alternatives, USEPA concluded:
"The disinfectant properties of this gas coupled with its ability to penetrate porous surfaces make it a preferred fumigant for this application (Hart Senate Office Building)". "In general, ClO2 has the most well established complete disinfection capability for spores and microorganisms when compared to many other disinfectants. Human toxicity for this compound is well established in drinking water, food and human contact uses. It is currently in use in the food and agriculture industry in a gas phase preparation. USEPA, NIOSH, and OSHA provide recommended protective limits for this compound."
Concurrent with performance of the surrogate spore strip efficacy tests, Sabre worked to develop a technology for delivering pure gaseous ClO2 to contaminated portions of the building. Shortly after selection of ClO2 as USEPA's remedy of choice, these portions of the building were fumigated successfully through use of this application process.
In addition to successfully fumigating contaminated portions of the Hart Senate Office Building, Sabre also coordinated and supervised the proper use of liquid ClO2 solutions in spot treatment efforts being conducted simultaneously in several other Capitol Hill buildings.
Q. What other experience does Sabre have in the bio-terrorism response arena?
A. Sabre has been involved in the restoration of nearly every major facility contaminated during the October 2001 anthrax attacks. Following completion of the Capitol Hill response, Sabre turned its focus to assisting the United States Postal Service (USPS) with its efforts to rehabilitate two major Processing and Distribution Centers (P&DC) that had been widely contaminated by the same anthrax-laced letters found at Capitol Hill. Specifically, these facilities were the USPS Curseen-Morris P&DC in Washington, DC and the USPS Trenton P&DC in Hamilton Township, New Jersey. These two facilities were approximately 14 million ft3 and 6 million ft3 in size, respectively. Sabre successfully eliminated all traces of anthrax contamination from each of these enormous facilities by "upsizing" the same base ClO2 generation and application technology it developed during the Capitol Hill response.
In addition to the Hart Senate Office Building and USPS P&DC facilities, Sabre also successfully fumigated the former American Media Incorporated (AMI) building in Boca Raton, Florida where the first of the anthrax attacks occurred. Having perfected its ClO2 treatment technology during the Capitol Hill and USPS responses, Sabre eliminated all traces of contamination from the AMI facility in record time and at reasonable cost.
Sabre's most recent use of its ClO2 fumigation technology in the bio-terrorism response area was the treatment of several large cargo containers filled with lemons in October of 2004. The United States Coast Guard (USCG) had received a tip that several containers on a ship arriving from South America might be contaminated with a biological weapon. In responding to this alert, the USCG contacted Sabre and requested that each suspect container be fumigated with ClO2 gas. Sabre promptly performed the requested treatment.
Q. Does Sabre's ClO2 fumigation technology have applicability outside the bio-terrorism response arena?
A. Adaptation of the large-scale anthrax fumigation technology to address widespread mold contamination has proven expedient, cost effective, and successful. Sabre's ClO2 fumigation process was recently used to eradicate mold from a three-story, 5,000 square foot historic building so heavily contaminated with mold, inside and outside its structural walls, that it was thought to be beyond economic rehabilitation.
To prepare the building for treatment, the roof was replaced and obvious sources of external water intrusion were eliminated. Sabre then mobilized a core group of personnel to install fumigation system components inside and outside the building and tent the exterior of the structure to prevent release of ClO2 to the ambient environment during the fumigation process.
Following completion of the fumigation, scientists collected mold samples throughout all four floors of the building, including mold infestations located behind internal walls of the structure, to assess efficacy of the ClO2 fumigation process. Test results showed complete kill of mold throughout all areas of the building, including those areas where it would not have been possible to treat mold contamination except for use of a highly penetrating gas like ClO2. The fumigation process also dramatically altered the visual appearance of areas that showed heavy mold contamination before treatment.
Preparation, fumigation, environmental testing and demobilization were all accomplished in a period of less than three weeks.