- WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The
Department of Homeland Security should establish strict security guidelines
for all government-funded U.S. laboratories that conduct research on deadly
viruses, bacteria and chemical agents, U.S. Agriculture Department investigators
said on Tuesday.
-
- 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.
-
- Copyright © 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited
without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable
for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance
thereon.
|
