---
kind: "section"
citation: "21 U.S.C. § 2225"
title: "21"
title_heading: "Food and Drugs"
number: "2225"
heading: "Decontamination and disposal standards and plans"
release: "119-102"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/21/2225"
units:
  - "Chapter 27 — Food Safety Modernization"
  - "Subchapter II — Improving Capacity to Detect and Respond to Food Safety Problems"
---

# §2225. Decontamination and disposal standards and plans

- (a) **In general—** The [Administrator](/usc/21/1523.md?p=1) of the Environmental Protection Agency (referred to in this section as the “[Administrator](/usc/21/1523.md?p=1)”), in coordination with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Secretary of Homeland Security, and Secretary of Agriculture, shall provide support for, and technical assistance to, [State](/usc/21/321.md?p=a-1), local, and tribal governments in preparing for, assessing, decontaminating, and recovering from an agriculture or [food](/usc/21/346a.md?p=a-1) emergency.
- (b) **Development of standards—** In carrying out [subsection (a)](#a), the [Administrator](/usc/21/1523.md?p=1), in coordination with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Secretary of Homeland Security, Secretary of Agriculture, and [State](/usc/21/321.md?p=a-1), local, and tribal governments, shall develop and disseminate specific standards and protocols to undertake clean-up, clearance, and recovery activities following the decontamination and disposal of specific threat agents and foreign animal diseases.
- (c) **Development of model plans—** In carrying out [subsection (a)](#a), the [Administrator](/usc/21/1523.md?p=1), the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and the Secretary of Agriculture shall jointly develop and disseminate model plans for—
  - (1) the decontamination of individuals, equipment, and [facilities](/usc/21/350g.md?p=o-2) following an intentional contamination of agriculture or [food](/usc/21/346a.md?p=a-1); and
  - (2) the disposal of large quantities of animals, plants, or [food](/usc/21/346a.md?p=a-1) products that have been infected or contaminated by specific threat agents and foreign animal diseases.
- (d) **Exercises—** In carrying out [subsection (a)](#a), the [Administrator](/usc/21/1523.md?p=1), in coordination with the entities described under [subsection (b)](#b), shall conduct exercises at least annually to evaluate and identify weaknesses in the decontamination and disposal model plans described in [subsection (c)](#c). Such exercises shall be carried out, to the maximum extent practicable, as part of the national exercise [program](/usc/21/1523.md?p=8) under [section 748(b)(1) of title 6](/usc/6/748.md?p=b-1).
- (e) **Modifications—** Based on the exercises described in [subsection (d)](#d), the [Administrator](/usc/21/1523.md?p=1), in coordination with the entities described in [subsection (b)](#b), shall review and modify as necessary the plans described in [subsection (c)](#c) not less frequently than biennially.
- (f) **Prioritization—** The [Administrator](/usc/21/1523.md?p=1), in coordination with the entities described in [subsection (b)](#b), shall develop standards and plans under subsections [(b)](#b) and [(c)](#c) in an identified order of priority that takes into account—
  - (1) highest-risk biological, chemical, and radiological threat agents;
  - (2) agents that could cause the greatest economic devastation to the agriculture and [food](/usc/21/346a.md?p=a-1) system; and
  - (3) agents that are most difficult to clean or remediate.

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 111–353, title II, § 208, Jan. 4, 2011, 124 Stat. 3944.)