Government Scientists and Deadly Pathogens
The scientific establishment in the US has been rocked in recent weeks by revelations that live smallpox was unknowingly put into cold storage at the NIH, that live anthrax was mishandled at the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and that a dangerous strain of bird flu was accidentally shipped.
How bad is it when “sloppy” is used as a description for CDC labs? Bloomberg asked Richard Ebright, a Rutgers University molecular biologist, who noted, “In the event of a similar incident with one of those biological-weapons agent pathogens, now not only are workers at risk, but the community is at risk as well,” Mr. Ebright said. “And by community, I’m not talking about a neighborhood in Atlanta — I’m talking about a state, a country, a planet.” -Tammy Bruce 
On the same day as the CDC congressional hearing, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had a little announcement of its own. Remember the six vials of smallpox discovered, after decades sitting in an unused National Institutes of Health cold-storage room? Well, it wasn’t just six vials — it was 12 boxes containing 327 vials, all filled with some of the world’s deadliest germs. The FDA issued a statement describing the discovery of ” carefully packaged vials labeled with names of various biological agents, such as dengue, influenza, Q fever, and rickettsia .” -Tammy Bruce
The Army bioterror defense research facility that has mistakenly sent live anthrax to dozens of labs in the U.S. and abroad faced potential sanctions in 2007 for failing to properly kill specimens of the deadly bacteria – and ignoring test results that indicated their kill process wasn't effective, USA TODAY has learned.
Government, Incompetence, Science, Oops
Laboratories run by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are among a number of facilities that have been sanctioned by the federal government for mishandling bioterrorism germs, in a story first reported by USA Today... The CDC said three of the referrals involved sending improperly inactivated select agents to entities not approved to receive them, two involved the discovery of select agents in unregistered spaces in CDC facilities, and one involved inventory and oversight concerns.
Government, Incompetence, Science, Oops
The Pentagon has learned that additional samples of live anthrax were sent to three laboratories in Canada, two Defense officials confirmed Monday evening. That means that specimens of the deadly Bacillus anthracis have been sent to labs in 12 states, the District of Columbia and three countries.
Government, Incompetence, Science, Oops
The Pentagon revealed Wednesday that "live anthrax" was shipped, apparently by accident, across the country from a lab in Utah. Pentagon spokesman Col. Steve Warren assured "there are no risks to the public" and said an investigation is under way. But a defense official also told Fox News it is unknown at this time whether anyone was exposed to the live samples. The material in question was prepared at Dugway Proving Ground, Utah, as part of what was described as a "routine" research process. It was then sent out to Defense Department and commercial labs in nine states...
Government, Incompetence, Science, Brilliance, Oops, Ignorance
Researchers studying Ebola in a highly secure laboratory mistakenly allowed potentially lethal samples of the virus to be handled in a much less secure laboratory at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, agency officials said Wednesday. One technician in the second laboratory may have been exposed to the virus and about a dozen other people have been assessed after entering the facility unaware that potentially hazardous samples of Ebola had been handled there.
Government, Incompetence, Science, Brilliance, Oops, Ignorance
We learned this week that scientists and lab workers at high-security labs at the CDC did every single thing a normal human would not do when dealing with deadly bacteria... Bloomberg BusinessWeek reported the revelation that the CDC had been warned for years about the “sloppy handling of pathogens.” The institute’s problem of carelessness apparently isn’t limited to the one unfortunate incident of 80 CDC workers becoming exposed to anthrax after an incautious lab-to-lab transfer.
In fact, New York magazine reported results of a separate audit of the CDC, which found the lab had been “transferring dangerous materials in Ziploc bags, storing anthrax in unlocked refrigerators in an unrestricted hallway, and misplacing anthrax containers.”
Government, Incompetence, Science, Brilliance, Oops, Ignorance
Federal government laboratories in Atlanta improperly sent potentially deadly pathogens, including anthrax, botulism bacteria and a virulent bird flu virus, to other laboratories in five separate incidents over the past decade, officials said Friday... The American people “may be wondering whether we’re doing what we need to do to keep them safe and to keep our workers safe,” he said. “I’m disappointed, and frankly I’m angry about it.”
The CDC disclosed the incidents in a report Friday detailing safety lapses that occurred last month, when as many as 84 workers may have been exposed to live anthrax after employees unknowingly sent samples of the bacterium from one CDC lab to other CDC labs.
Government Scientists Work To Confirm Einstein's Theory...
Government, Incompetence, Science, Brilliance, Oops, Ignorance
The scientific establishment in the US has been rocked in recent weeks by revelations that live smallpox was unknowingly put into cold storage at the NIH, that live anthrax was mishandled at the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and that a dangerous strain of bird flu was accidentally shipped from one US government lab to another.
Government, Incompetence, Science, Brilliance, Oops, Ignorance
Senior US science officials have shut down two government laboratories that were the subject of "serious and troubling" safety lapses, and suspended some transfers of potentially dangerous germs. Dr Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control, revealed on Friday that in addition to the exposure of anthrax and the discovery of insecure smallpox vials, which had already been disclosed, inquiries had discovered the cross-contamination of flu viruses. Frieden said the discoveries raised "serious and troubling questions" in announcing the new safety measures on Friday. “Fundamentally, what they revealed was totally unacceptable behavior,” said Frieden.
Government, Incompetence, Science, Brilliance, Oops, Ignorance
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) plans a sweeping inventory of deadly pathogens in its laboratories in response to safety lapses at high-biosecurity facilities on its Atlanta, Georgia, campus. The move, announced today by CDC director Thomas Frieden, comes after the agency revealed in recent weeks that staff members were potentially exposed to anthrax and unintentionally shipped H5N1 influenza virus to another government laboratory.
Government, Incompetence, Science, Brilliance, Oops, Ignorance
The same federal scientist who recently found forgotten samples of smallpox at a federal lab also uncovered over 300 additional vials, many bearing the names of highly contagious viruses and bacteria. Food and Drug Administration officials said Wednesday the undocumented collection contained 327 carefully packaged vials, listing pathogens like dengue, influenza and rickettsia.