Managing Contaminated Animal and Plant Materials: Field Guide on ...

BiosecurityFacilities that accept contaminated materialsmay be fixed-site facilities located onheavily trafficked public or private property,such as university campuses. Movement ofnon-zoonotic-contaminated plant or animalmaterial onto these sites should be very carefullyplanned.Although transporting carcasses contaminatedwith non-zoonotic material does notpresent a health hazard to the public, a significanteffort must go into public awareness <strong>and</strong>public relations activities well before any carcassesare moved to the site. Do not use suchfacilities to dispose of carcasses contaminatedwith zoonotic agents or transmissible spongiformencephalopathies (TSEs).Decontamination of vehicles <strong>and</strong> anycontaminated personnel must occur before theDigestionvehicles leave the disposal site. See additionalmaterial in the Safety section of the “GeneralConsiderations” chapter of this guide.Release of the digested material must becoordinated with local <strong>and</strong> state public health,environmental quality <strong>and</strong> l<strong>and</strong>-use authorities.A public relations plan should alreadybe in place before disposing of any digestedmaterial in a public sewer system or on l<strong>and</strong>,<strong>and</strong> it must be performed fully in conjunctionwith state <strong>and</strong> local authorities.To ensure the inactivation of all pathogens,have this material tested before disposalor reuse.Direct contact may be possible by workerexposure to dust or biosolids that have beenapplied to crops in the field.289