Item #: SCP-2194
Object Class: Keter
Special Containment Procedures: Embedded Foundation personnel in health inspection and waste management departments worldwide currently monitor all major urban centers for signs of an SCP-2194 outbreak, while spearheading intensive cleanup and recycling campaigns within these areas. In the event of a confirmed outbreak, Mobile Task Force Gamma-9 ("Cleaners") will be deployed to quarantine the affected area. All instances of SCP-2194-1 are to be isolated within the quarantine zone and neutralized by means of aerosolised VX nerve agent, followed by incineration of remains. All surfaces and remains contaminated by SCP-2194 are to be sealed in expanding polyurethane foam. A new layer of foam sealant is to be applied every seven (7) days, or at the first sign of SCP-2194 breaching the seal.
Affected areas are to remain under indefinite quarantine, maintained by amnestic and cover-up procedures where appropriate. Should an SCP-2194 outbreak affect a great enough portion of an urban area so as to make isolation and cover-up unfeasible, the area will be permanently evacuated under pretense of a major chemical leak or imminent nuclear meltdown (if applicable).
Under no circumstances are personnel to attempt to "clean" SCP-2194 from any surface or organism.
Description: SCP-2194 is a phenomenon affecting densely-populated urban areas, which appears to manifest in the presence of persistently excessive quantities of refuse and waste.
SCP-2194 manifests as an amorphous and partially mobile mass of common refuse, dead micro-organisms, fecal matter, live bacteria, assorted particulate matter and other forms of biological and non-biological waste. It is currently unknown whether the initial mass of SCP-2194 originates as non-anomalous waste that assumes anomalous properties, or forms spontaneously through other means. SCP-2194 propagates via direct physical contact, gradually spreading to adjacent surfaces as a brownish film of waste and particulate. Refuse, waste and dead biological matter becomes incorporated into the mass of SCP-2194 on contact.
Should material affected by SCP-2194 come into direct contact with any surface, including the skin of a live organism, it will leave a "stain" at the point of contact. This stain spreads at a relatively low rate (< 1cm squared per hour) - however, any attempt to abrade, dissolve, corrode or otherwise remove this stain results in the formation of an amount of material roughly double the amount removed. Avian and mammalian subjects exposed to SCP-2194 are invariably distressed by the appearance and growth of the stain, becoming increasingly frantic in their attempts to remove it. This behaviour causes the rapid spread of SCP-2194 material across the body surface.
Once SCP-2194 material covers at least 33% of a live organism's body surface, the organism becomes an instance of SCP-2194-1. Instances of SCP-2194-1 are capable of spreading SCP-2194 via direct physical contact and display extremely unhygienic behaviour, characterized by an obsession with both SCP-2194 and other, non-anomalous forms of waste. These behaviours include, but are not limited to: covering self in waste; covering nearby objects and surfaces in waste; collecting large quantities of refuse and dead material to add to the main mass of SCP-2194; immersing self in SCP-2194; ingesting SCP-2194; and attempting to [DATA EXPUNGED] causing SCP-2194 to spread to other individuals.
Instances of SCP-2194-1 typically expire within 5-7 days of exposure, often due to suffocation caused by the formation of an overwhelming amount of waste material in the lungs and air passages. Larger organisms may remain alive as long as 18 days before expiring from the effects of blood poisoning and necrotizing fasciitis1.
SCP-2194 can be partially removed by sustained exposure to an open flame; however, its regenerative properties in response to attempted removal allow a minimum of 10% of the material to remain on a surface even after several minutes of continuous burning. Incineration is 100% effective in the neutralization of instances of SCP-2194-1.
The most effective containment method currently known is the use of an expanding foam sealant to cover all surfaces affected by SCP-2194. Provided that the sealant is applied thoroughly and within a space of 2 hours, SCP-2194 is capable of spreading to the exterior surface of the seal in no less than 200 hours (roughly 8 days). Timeous reapplication prevents this occurrence.
Addendum 2194-01:
As of ██/██/2015, ███ SCP-2194 quarantine zones exist. No means of permanent removal or disposal of SCP-2194 have yet been identified. Research is ongoing.
