-Caveat Lector-
Begin forwarded message:
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Date: October 2, 2007 10:49:33 AM PDT
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: U.S. labs mishandling deadly germs (including bird flu virus)
U.S. labs mishandling deadly germs
Confidential reports submitted to federal regulators describe
'accidents' involving anthrax, bird flu virus, monkeypox, and
plague-causing bacteria at 44 labs in 24 states
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071002/ap_on_he_me/mishandling_germs_3
02 Oct 2007
<excerpts>
American laboratories handling the world's deadliest germs and
toxins have experienced more than 100 accidents and missing
shipments since 2003, and the number is increasing steadily as more
labs across the country are approved to do the work.
... The expansion of the lab network has been dramatic since
President Bush announced an upgrade of the nation's bio-warfare
defense program five years ago. The National Institute of Allergy
and Infectious Diseases, which funds much of the lab research and
construction, spent about $41 million on bio-defense labs in 2001.
By last year, the spending had risen to $1.6 billion.
The number of labs approved by the government to handle the
deadliest substances has nearly doubled to 409 since 2004.
The documented [incidents] reflect poorly on procedures and
oversight at high-security labs, some of which work with organisms
and poisons so dangerous that illnesses they cause have no cure.
"It may be only a matter of time before our nation has a public
health incident with potentially catastrophic results," said Rep.
Bart Stupak, D-Mich., chairman of the House Energy and Commerce
investigations subcommittee.
Texas A&M's laboratory failed to report, until this year, one case
of a lab worker's infection from Brucella bacteria last year and
three others' previous infection with Q fever — missteps documented
in news reports earlier this year. The illnesses are characterized
by high fevers and flu-like symptoms that sometimes cause more
serious complications.
"The major problems at Texas A&M went undetected and unreported,
and we don't think that it was an isolated event," critic Edward
Hammond said. He runs the Sunshine Project, which has tracked
incidents at other labs for years and first revealed the Texas A&M
illnesses that the school failed to report.
Accidents aren't the only concern. While medical experts consider
it unlikely that a lab employee will infect others, these labs have
strict rules to prevent anyone from stealing organisms or toxins
and using them for bioterrorism.
The [incident] reports were so sensitive the Bush administration
refused to release them under the Freedom of Information Act,
citing an anti-bioterrorism law aimed at preventing terrorists from
locating stockpiles of poisons and learning who handles them.
[See: Flu 'Oddities', Making Killer Flu 12 Jun 2007, Killer flu
recreated in the lab and DoD to 'augment civilian law' during
pandemic or bioterror attack 11 May 2007.]
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