From the executive summary: "This project supports the mission of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) Homeland Security Research Program (HSRP) of the Office of Research and Development's National Homeland Security Research Center (NHSRC) by providing vital scientific data that can inform decisions for EPA emergency responders. The focus of this study was to provide information relevant to the decontamination of personnel and personal protective equipment (PPE) after responding to an act of bioterrorism. To minimize worker exposure and to prevent the spread of potentially hazardous materials beyond the original areas of contamination, work zones will be established to allow workers to move between the non-contaminated Support Zone (SZ), the Contamination Reduction Zone (CRZ) where personnel decontamination takes place, and the Exclusion Zone (EZ) or area of contamination. A well-established decontamination line is essential for ensuring that potentially hazardous residues (chemical, biological or radiological) on worker PPE do not transfer into the SZ. Traditional electric backpack sprayers or handheld manual sprayers are often used to distribute a liquid decontaminant over the surfaces of worker PPE, but this process can generate a large volume of waste and may not always provide decontamination efficacy. Therefore, improved decontamination line strategies must be investigated to minimize the spread of contamination and reduce waste disposal costs."