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Sloppy Biosafety Procedures Found At Federal Disease Center
schwit1 writes: An investigation of a federal center for studying dangerous diseases in primates has found serious biosafety procedure violations. "Concerns arose at the center in Covington, Louisiana, after two rhesus macaques became ill in late November with melioidosis, a disease caused by the tropical bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei. In January, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Department of Agriculture investigators traced the strain infecting the primates to a vaccine research lab working with mice. Last month, as the investigation continued, CDC suspended the primate center's 10 or so research projects involving B. pseudomallei and other select agents (a list of dangerous bacteria, viruses, and toxins that are tightly regulated). Meanwhile, a report in USA Today suggested the bacterium might have contaminated the center's soil or water. In addition, workers "frequently entered the select agent lab without appropriate protective clothing," the release says. No center staff has shown signs of illness. On 12 March, however, Tulane announced that blood tests have found that one worker has low levels of antibodies to the bacterium, suggesting possible exposure at the center, according to ABC News."
States had Rights before Lincoln, the Great American Tyrant. Burn a $5 bill in protest. Do it now.
This is the reason why basically all lab-created or researched pathogens have made it into the wild. (And that is the reason why it is such an exceptionally bad idea to created more dangerous strains....) People get used to danger and at some time do not perceive it as danger anymore.
Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
Safety-decreases by safety procedures. Typical bureaucrat stupidity, where processes and procedures are taken to be more important than what they refer to. Same is customary in IT, namely insecure IT by excessive and unsuitable security measures. In the end, people work around these, because they actually want to get work done. If the people doing it are non-experts, they will put themselves into danger as a result. But in the end, all responsibility lies with the paper-pushers that have spectacularly failed at their job.
Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
Whether we're talking about handling level 4 agents, following protocol in a nuclear reactor, or paying attention working on a 14,400 volt transmission line, we always get complacent and stupidly comfortable.
After doing a dangerous thing enough times, humans lose that life-preserving fear reflex. That's one reason robots will be needed for space travel.
Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.
Ernest Hemingway
Hello?
Have you paid attention to what happens to whistle blowers about anything under this administration?