FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Michael McLachlan
203-797-4511
December 22, 2007

ANTHRAX REMEDIATION COMPLETED

PADANARAM ROAD HOUSE CLEARED FOR OCCUPANCY

The Connecticut Department of Public Health certified test results today confirming a house at 69 Padanaram Road is now free of anthrax following a comprehensive remediation process on the property over several months. Multiple federal, state and local agencies participated in the operation that began September 5, 2007 following the diagnosis of cutaneous anthrax in two residents of the house.

“The City of Danbury is grateful for the cooperation and support of our federal and state agency partners in bringing this emergency remediation to a positive conclusion,” Mayor Boughton said. “Our residents and businesses in the Padanaram Road neighborhood were very cooperative during this operation.”

Dr. James Hadler, Connecticut’s State Epidemiologist, stated in an email to the City of Danbury, that the property is safe for occupancy following a fumigation process of the house and a bleach treatment of the work shed. Final cultural results from the state laboratory indicate no evidence of viable anthrax spores on the property.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency was the lead agency in the remediation process. The Unified Command Team included representatives from the EPA, CT Department of Public Health, CT Department of Environmental Protection and the City of Danbury. Remediation cost reports are incomplete as twelve federal, state and local agencies provided staff and statistical support in the operation. The U.S. EPA provided the majority of financial resources required to complete the remediation.

The property owner and occupants of the house were notified of the results today.

Dedicated EPA Web information on this clean up (epa.gov/region1/er/sites/danbury)

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If you have questions regarding this press release, please call Michael McLachlan, Office of the Mayor at (203) 797-4511, U.S. EPA: David Deegan, (617) 918-1017, CT DPH: Bill Gerrish, (860) 509-7106, or CT DEP: Dennis Schain, (860) 424-3110.