Second anthrax investigation found major lapses, files show
Page 1 of 1
Second anthrax investigation found major lapses, files show
House subcommitee to hold hearing on Wednesday about CDC's mishandling of anthrax and of bird flu incident
A second US investigation into the anthrax breach at federal laboratories found major safety lapses, from keys left in supposedly locked refrigerators containing anthrax to the use of disinfectants that had passed their use-by dates, according to a document released by lawmakers on Monday.
The findings go beyond details provided by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in its account of lapses that led to the potential exposure of more than 80 lab workers to live anthrax bacteria in June.
A subcommittee of the House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce will hold a hearing on Wednesday about CDC's mishandling of anthrax as well as of a second deadly microbe, avian influenza.
In addition to asking CDC director Dr Thomas Frieden about the anthrax and bird flu incidents, the subcommittee is expected to probe whether those biosafety lapses have implications for federal oversight of "select agents," the most dangerous pathogens, and the high-containment labs that handle them.
The parallel investigation, by the US Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), was conducted from June 23 to July 3.
APHIS found numerous violations of federal rules for handling dangerous microbes, according to the congressional document. For instance, unidentified "materials" were carried from one CDC lab to another in two plastic Ziploc bags, which did not meet the requirement that such containers be "durable."
In addition, anthrax was stored in refrigerators in an unrestricted hallway. The key to one "sat in its lock," APHIS found. During its inspection, "containers of anthrax were missing and had to be tracked and located by the inspection team," while other samples sat in an unlocked lab that had not received approval to handle select agents.
APHIS submitted its report to the CDC on July 10, a day before CDC released its own.
"The reason we didn't reference the APHIS report in our report is we received it on the day ours was being prepared for release," said CDC spokesman Tom Skinner, adding that the agency would "work as quickly as we can to respond to the issues" that APHIS had discovered.
Other findings from the APHIS report: once CDC researchers realized that viable anthrax had been transferred to a lab lacking the biosafety equipment to handle it, workers in the receiving lab tried to decontaminate vials and bags that might have come in contact with the sample. They "could not remember if they used expired bleach" to do that, according to the congressional document.
In addition, CDC workers, including those in the biodefense lab who were cleared to work with anthrax, "had not been trained to decontaminate all relevant areas or properly use decontaminants," the report said.
Once scores of CDC workers were potentially exposed to anthrax and sought help at CDC's on-site clinic, the clinic struggled to respond. Workers "left the clinic without knowing the extent of their risk", and some were not examined for five days, the report said. Others were told to check themselves for symptoms of anthrax infection rather than visit the clinic.
CDC officials failed to properly secure one of the labs that received live anthrax, with the result that people continued to go in "without approval". It took days to post signs warning of potential anthrax exposure.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/14/second-anthrax-investigation-found-major-lapses
What did they think they were doing? Anthrax is not something you mess about with, 'left the clinic without knowing the extent of their risk'!!!!!!!!!
A second US investigation into the anthrax breach at federal laboratories found major safety lapses, from keys left in supposedly locked refrigerators containing anthrax to the use of disinfectants that had passed their use-by dates, according to a document released by lawmakers on Monday.
The findings go beyond details provided by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in its account of lapses that led to the potential exposure of more than 80 lab workers to live anthrax bacteria in June.
A subcommittee of the House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce will hold a hearing on Wednesday about CDC's mishandling of anthrax as well as of a second deadly microbe, avian influenza.
In addition to asking CDC director Dr Thomas Frieden about the anthrax and bird flu incidents, the subcommittee is expected to probe whether those biosafety lapses have implications for federal oversight of "select agents," the most dangerous pathogens, and the high-containment labs that handle them.
The parallel investigation, by the US Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), was conducted from June 23 to July 3.
APHIS found numerous violations of federal rules for handling dangerous microbes, according to the congressional document. For instance, unidentified "materials" were carried from one CDC lab to another in two plastic Ziploc bags, which did not meet the requirement that such containers be "durable."
In addition, anthrax was stored in refrigerators in an unrestricted hallway. The key to one "sat in its lock," APHIS found. During its inspection, "containers of anthrax were missing and had to be tracked and located by the inspection team," while other samples sat in an unlocked lab that had not received approval to handle select agents.
APHIS submitted its report to the CDC on July 10, a day before CDC released its own.
"The reason we didn't reference the APHIS report in our report is we received it on the day ours was being prepared for release," said CDC spokesman Tom Skinner, adding that the agency would "work as quickly as we can to respond to the issues" that APHIS had discovered.
Other findings from the APHIS report: once CDC researchers realized that viable anthrax had been transferred to a lab lacking the biosafety equipment to handle it, workers in the receiving lab tried to decontaminate vials and bags that might have come in contact with the sample. They "could not remember if they used expired bleach" to do that, according to the congressional document.
In addition, CDC workers, including those in the biodefense lab who were cleared to work with anthrax, "had not been trained to decontaminate all relevant areas or properly use decontaminants," the report said.
Once scores of CDC workers were potentially exposed to anthrax and sought help at CDC's on-site clinic, the clinic struggled to respond. Workers "left the clinic without knowing the extent of their risk", and some were not examined for five days, the report said. Others were told to check themselves for symptoms of anthrax infection rather than visit the clinic.
CDC officials failed to properly secure one of the labs that received live anthrax, with the result that people continued to go in "without approval". It took days to post signs warning of potential anthrax exposure.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/14/second-anthrax-investigation-found-major-lapses
What did they think they were doing? Anthrax is not something you mess about with, 'left the clinic without knowing the extent of their risk'!!!!!!!!!
Guest- Guest
Similar topics
» Israel sold weapons to Argentina at height of Falklands War, declassified files show
» Revealed in error, the official files that show Britain will NOT support military action or sanctions against Russia
» Doctor who faces inquiry for asking a Muslim to lift her veil says he will quit after 23 years as a GP due to the 'major injustice' of the investigation
» Co-op Chocolate Rabbits Recalled And Police Investigation Launched After Battery Found Inside
» Algerian Woman under investigation for torture and murder of French girl, 12, whose body was found in plastic case in Paris
» Revealed in error, the official files that show Britain will NOT support military action or sanctions against Russia
» Doctor who faces inquiry for asking a Muslim to lift her veil says he will quit after 23 years as a GP due to the 'major injustice' of the investigation
» Co-op Chocolate Rabbits Recalled And Police Investigation Launched After Battery Found Inside
» Algerian Woman under investigation for torture and murder of French girl, 12, whose body was found in plastic case in Paris
Page 1 of 1
Permissions in this forum:
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
Sat Mar 18, 2023 12:28 pm by Ben Reilly
» TOTAL MADNESS Great British Railway Journeys among shows flagged by counter terror scheme ‘for encouraging far-right sympathies
Wed Feb 22, 2023 5:14 pm by Tommy Monk
» Interesting COVID figures
Tue Feb 21, 2023 5:00 am by Tommy Monk
» HAPPY CHRISTMAS.
Sun Jan 01, 2023 7:33 pm by Tommy Monk
» The Fight Over Climate Change is Over (The Greenies Won!)
Thu Dec 15, 2022 3:59 pm by Tommy Monk
» Trump supporter murders wife, kills family dog, shoots daughter
Mon Dec 12, 2022 1:21 am by 'Wolfie
» Quill
Thu Oct 20, 2022 10:28 pm by Tommy Monk
» Algerian Woman under investigation for torture and murder of French girl, 12, whose body was found in plastic case in Paris
Thu Oct 20, 2022 10:04 pm by Tommy Monk
» Wind turbines cool down the Earth (edited with better video link)
Sun Oct 16, 2022 9:19 am by Ben Reilly
» Saying goodbye to our Queen.
Sun Sep 25, 2022 9:02 pm by Maddog
» PHEW.
Sat Sep 17, 2022 6:33 pm by Syl
» And here's some more enrichment...
Thu Sep 15, 2022 3:46 pm by Ben Reilly
» John F Kennedy Assassination
Thu Sep 15, 2022 3:40 pm by Ben Reilly
» Where is everyone lately...?
Thu Sep 15, 2022 3:33 pm by Ben Reilly
» London violence over the weekend...
Mon Sep 05, 2022 2:19 pm by Tommy Monk
» Why should anyone believe anything that Mo Farah says...!?
Wed Jul 13, 2022 1:44 am by Tommy Monk
» Liverpool Labour defends mayor role poll after turnout was only 3% and they say they will push ahead with the option that was least preferred!!!
Mon Jul 11, 2022 1:11 pm by Tommy Monk
» Labour leader Keir Stammer can't answer the simple question of whether a woman has a penis or not...
Mon Jul 11, 2022 3:58 am by Tommy Monk
» More evidence of remoaners still trying to overturn Brexit... and this is a conservative MP who should be drummed out of the party and out of parliament!
Sun Jul 10, 2022 10:50 pm by Tommy Monk
» R Kelly 30 years, Ghislaine Maxwell 20 years... but here in UK...
Fri Jul 08, 2022 5:31 pm by Original Quill