Safety

Government misses anthrax lab inspection deadline

Emergency Management Alert, November 20, 2003

The federal government missed a deadline to certify more than 500 research laboratories that use anthrax and other dangerous biological agents, partially because the FBI is still working on thousands of required employee background checks, the Associated Press reports.

A law passed last year set new guidelines on research involving potential bioterrorism agents, one of which requires the certification of labs handling certain agents. The deadline for certification was November 12.

Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-CT, said that as of November 3, none of the 513 labs awaiting certification had actually received it. Part of the reason is that the FBI still must complete 3,600 background checks. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which is overseeing much of the certification, is taking its time to ensure that all labs meet security requirements, a spokesman said.

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