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Panel to Probe Safety Records of U.S. Research Labs By Anna Edney WASHINGTON — U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee Democrats plan to investigate the potential danger posed to local communities from laboratories around the country that research infectious viruses (see GSN, Aug. 1). Energy and Commerce Chairman John Dingell (D-Mich.) and Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chairman Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) said Thursday that federally funded biosafety labs are cropping up at an increasing rate but little information is available on how they operate. The committee did not quantify the increase in labs. “While the research conducted at these labs is certainly valuable, we must make sure that it does not pose a risk to the public health,” Dingell said. Just a few weeks ago, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed three people at a “Is there a point at which there are so many labs doing this research that you actually increase the chances of a catastrophic release of a deadly disease?” Stupak asked. Dingell and Stupak will hold a hearing on level III and IV labs in early October. Level III labs research biological agents that are contracted through inhalation, and level IV labs handle dangerous biological agents that pose a high risk of aerosol-transmitted infection, according to the National Institutes of Health. NIH outlines safety procedures for the labs to prevent outbreaks, but the institute acknowledges not all laboratories follow the guidelines.
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