Page 129 - JSOM Summer 2020

An Assessment of Decontamination Strategies
for Materials Commonly Used in Canine Equipment

1
1
1
Erin B. Perry, MS, PhD *; Ellie B. Powell, MS ; Dakota R. Discepolo, BS ;
1
Jesse M. Francis, MS, PhD ; Stephen Y. Liang, MD, MPHS 2

ABSTRACT
Working canines are frequently exposed to hazardous environ- consisting of either leather or nylon. However, repeated use
ments with a high potential for contamination. Environmental of the same collar and leash without adequate evidence-based
contamination may occur in many ways. Contamination may standards for their decontamination can increase the risk for
be chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear. Examples may future cross-contamination, endangering the health of the dog,
include a pipeline rupture following an earthquake, microbi- the handler, and other team members.
ological contamination of floodwaters, or exposure to toxic
industrial chemical such as hydrogen chloride, ammonia, or Canines exposed to contaminants during deployment have
toluene. Evidence to support effective methods for decontam- been reported to develop health issues including nausea, vom-
ination of equipment commonly used by working canines is iting, muscle tremors, convulsions, malignancy (e.g., renal
lacking. Recent work has identified decontamination protocols cell carcinoma), and anthracosis. Canines deployed into
2–6
for working canines, but little data are available to guide the highly contaminated areas are likely to encounter chemical
decontamination of equipment used during tactical operations. and microbiological threats on a daily basis. Toxic industrial
The objective of our work was to investigate the effects of chemicals may come from chemical plants, petroleum refin-
cleanser, cleaning method, and material type on contaminant eries, service stations, pest control businesses, automotive
7
reduction for tactical canine equipment materials using an oil- businesses, and dry cleaners and may also contaminate flood-
8
based contaminant as a surrogate for toxic industrial chemical waters following hurricanes, leaving residual hazards behind.
exposure. A contaminant was applied, and effectiveness was Animals exposed to floodwaters have been reported to suffer
represented as either success (≥ 50% contaminant reduction) or from rashes, chemical burns, damage to mucosal membranes,
failure (< 50% contaminant reduction). A two-phase study was and gastrointestinal issues associated with ingestion of residual
9
used to investigate cleanser, method of cleaning, and material hazards. Asbestos has also been reported as an environmental
types for effective contaminant reduction. In phase 1, Simple contaminant following the terrorist attack on September 11,
®
Green cleanser had a higher frequency (P = .0075) of failure, 2001, and has been tied to respiratory disease and some can-
10
but method and material did not affect contamination reduc- cers. Firefighters are frequently exposed to carcinogens and
®
®
tion (P > .05). In phase 2, Dawn (P = .0004) and Johnson’s are known to have an elevated risk for cancer as a result of this
(P = .0414) successfully reduced contamination. High- pressure exposure. However, improved efforts to increase decontami-
11
cleaning (HPC) resulted in successful decontamination (P < nation efforts of firefighting equipment have yielded successful
.0001). These novel data demonstrate potential techniques for contamination reduction and associated long-term exposure.
reduction of contaminants on tactical canine equipment. These techniques may provide a starting point for procedures
used to clean highly contaminated gear such as equipment
Keywords: working canine; decontamination; equipment used by tactical canines. 12
Some efforts have been made to identify methods associated
with decontamination of wildlife following petroleum-related
Introduction
environmental disasters. 1,5–7 However, cleaning methods for
Canine teams are often deployed for lengthy periods during wildlife are unlikely to translate to effective reduction of con-
combat operations or disaster response. Recent work has iden- taminants on canine equipment.
tified the effectiveness of decontamination procedures tailored
1
specifically to canines and reinforced through handler train- Leashes and collars used by working canine handlers are
1
ing. Yet, little data exist to guide decisions regarding clean- frequently expensive, custom fit to the dog, and unlikely
ing of necessary equipment for working canines operating in to be viewed as disposable. Current guidelines established
highly contaminated environments. Anecdotal evidence sug- for military working dog handlers provide inadequate de-
gests that many handlers use a single collar and leash during tail for equipment decontamination and require supplemen-
their entire deployment with preferred material types generally tal information. Cleansers and other equipment used in the
*Correspondence to erin.perry@siu.edu
1 Drs Perry, Powell, Discepolo, and Francis are from the Department of Animal Science Food & Nutrition, Southern Illinois University, Carbon-
dale, IL. Dr Liang is from the Divisions of Emergency Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis,
2

MO.
127