Federal authorities are scrambling to determine the size and scope of a scandal involving an Army biodefense facility in Utah that may have mistakenly sent live anthrax samples to scores of private and military laboratories around the world.
At least 28 labs in 12 states, as well as labs in Canada, Australia and South Korea may have received live anthrax spores from the Army's Dugway Proving Ground since 2008, officials said Wednesday.
Deputy Secretary of Defense Bob Work and officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will brief reporters Wednesday afternoon on the widening investigation into how and why the potentially deadly organisms were repeatedly shipped without appropriate safeguards, and whether safety systems are adequate at the labs.
“CDC is concerned with understanding what happened here and to make sure affected labs have everything they need to protect their workers,” said Jason McDonald, a CDC spokesman.
Officials say no one has been infected with anthrax, a disease of livestock that is dangerous to humans, but at least 26 military and civilian lab workers who dealt with the material are being treated for potential exposure. All but four are at Osan air base in South Korea.
The anthrax shipments originated at the Army's Dugway Proving Ground, a sprawling facility southwest of Salt Lake City where scientists focus on trying to defend the nation from potential biological weapons agents, including anthrax.
The problem was detected on May 22, when a commercial lab in Maryland cultured one of its samples from Dugway and discovered it contained live spores.
Normally, scientists use gamma radiation to render anthrax spores inactive before they are sent to labs for study. It's not yet clear if the radiation was insufficient prior to the shipments, or if other problems occurred.
Officials at Dugway declined to comment.
The anthrax was sent via commercial shipping companies, such as FedEx, but CDC and Pentagon officials insist the deliveries posed no threat to the public.
The domestic labs that received shipments are in California, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin and Washington.
Follow @wjhenn for military and defense info.
Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times
At least 28 labs in 12 states, as well as labs in Canada, Australia and South Korea may have received live anthrax spores from the Army's Dugway Proving Ground since 2008, officials said Wednesday.
Deputy Secretary of Defense Bob Work and officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will brief reporters Wednesday afternoon on the widening investigation into how and why the potentially deadly organisms were repeatedly shipped without appropriate safeguards, and whether safety systems are adequate at the labs.
“CDC is concerned with understanding what happened here and to make sure affected labs have everything they need to protect their workers,” said Jason McDonald, a CDC spokesman.
Officials say no one has been infected with anthrax, a disease of livestock that is dangerous to humans, but at least 26 military and civilian lab workers who dealt with the material are being treated for potential exposure. All but four are at Osan air base in South Korea.
The anthrax shipments originated at the Army's Dugway Proving Ground, a sprawling facility southwest of Salt Lake City where scientists focus on trying to defend the nation from potential biological weapons agents, including anthrax.
The problem was detected on May 22, when a commercial lab in Maryland cultured one of its samples from Dugway and discovered it contained live spores.
Normally, scientists use gamma radiation to render anthrax spores inactive before they are sent to labs for study. It's not yet clear if the radiation was insufficient prior to the shipments, or if other problems occurred.
Officials at Dugway declined to comment.
The anthrax was sent via commercial shipping companies, such as FedEx, but CDC and Pentagon officials insist the deliveries posed no threat to the public.
The domestic labs that received shipments are in California, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin and Washington.
Follow @wjhenn for military and defense info.
Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times
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