| 11/20/2003 USDA Report: Better Security Necessary at Labs - 11/18 Reuters The USDA's Office of Inspector General said it found dozens of research labs, mostly located at public universities, that were vulnerable to theft because of lax security and incomplete record keeping. "Without a standard minimum level of security, there is a potential that laboratories could experience unauthorized entries and that the loss or theft of high consequence pathogens could go undetected," the report said. With several federal agencies providing grants to many of the same research labs, the report recommended that the Homeland Security Department create one set of security rules for institutions that handle high risk agents. Between July and September 2002, USDA investigators visited 104 laboratories at 11 sites and found many lacking alarm systems and surveillance cameras. At one institution, a science lecturer had stored seven vials of an agent that can cause pneumonic plague, an airborne pathogen that can kill all infected people within 48 hours, in an unlocked freezer. The freezer had contained other dangerous pathogens that could not be accounted for, the report said. The scientist said the vials were destroyed in September 2002. Thomas Butler, a university professor at Texas Tech University, is on trial accused of lying to federal agents about 30 missing vials of bubonic plague bacteria. USDA officials were not immediately available to comment on whether the two cases were the same. In the report, the USDA said it agreed with the recommendations. It has started discussions with the Homeland Security Department on implementing a minimum security standard. Related Link: http://www.reuters.com |
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