News Release Archive | Awards

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 1, 2002

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A decontamination formulation originally developed at Sandia National Laboratories that renders harmless chemical and biological warfare agents has been selected for use by the U.S. Army Central Command (CENTCOM).

CENTCOM placed an order with EnviroFoam™ Technologies last week for several thousand gallons of the company’s EasyDECON™ solution. EnviroFoam licensed the formulation for EasyDECON from Sandia in August 2000. (See http://www.sandia.gov/media/NewsRel/NR2000/envfoam.htm.)

The formulation neutralizes both chemical and biological agents. It has low-toxicity and low-corrosivity properties and is environmentally friendly. The formulation can be deployed as a foam, mist, fog, spray, or liquid. (For more information, see http://www.sandia.gov/media/cbwfoam.htm.)

The order to EnviroFoam signals a decision to replace DS2, CENTCOM’s previous decontamination formula, for use “where the real potential exists for biological and chemical warfare,” says EnviroFoam President and CEO Peter Beucher.

The Sandia formulation, on which EasyDECON is based, has proven effective against both biological and chemical agents, can be applied with current military hardware, has shown no collateral damage, and creates an effluent capable of being washed down the drain, he says.

“Our entire team is extremely proud of the vote of confidence demonstrated with this first major acquisition of what we anticipate to be the next generation of decon materials,” says Beucher. “We worked very hard, participated in so many demonstrations, and chemical conferences. It is rewarding to realize that American soldiers will finally have the protection afforded by this novel technology.”

EnviroFoam was one of two U.S. companies granted nonexclusive licenses to the decontamination formulation, which has been under development at Sandia, a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory, since 1997.

The Army’s plans for the formulation are mentioned in an Oct. 2, 2002, Wall Street Journal article.

Sandia is a multiprogram laboratory operated by Sandia Corporation, a Lockheed Martin Company, for the United States Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-AC04-94AL85000. With main facilities in Albuquerque, N.M., and Livermore, Calif., Sandia has major research and development responsibilities in national security, energy and environmental technologies, and economic competitiveness.

Sandia media contact: John German, jdgerma@sandia.gov, (505) 844-5199

EnviroFoam media contact: Kevin Irvine, kevin.irvine@westwindcorp.com, (256) 319-0137