Critical Releases in Homeland Security: October 22, 2008

"Biosafety labs under the U.S. Bioterrorism Act are primarily regulated and must be registered with either the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) under the Select Agent Regulations. Currently, all operational biosafety level (BSL) 4 labs are registered with the CDC and thus are regulated by the CDC, not USDA. BSL-4 labs handle the world's most dangerous agents and diseases. In fact, of the four BSL designations, only BSL-4 labs can work with agents for which no cure or treatment exists. GAO [Government Accountability Office] was asked to perform a systematic security assessment of key perimeter security controls at the nation's five operational BSL-4 labs. To meet this objective, GAO performed a physical security assessment of the perimeter of each lab using a security survey it developed. GAO focused primarily on 15 physical security controls, based on GAO expertise and research of commonly accepted physical security principles. GAO recommends that the Director, CDC, take action to implement specific perimeter controls for all BSL-4 labs to provide assurance that each lab has a strong perimeter security system in place. HHS agreed that perimeter security is an important deterrent against theft of select agents. However, HHS indicated that the vulnerabilities GAO identified are the result of risk-based planning and that further study is required prior to additional regulation."

This report "...provides a detailed examination of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry's (ATSDR's) production, approval and release of that health consultation and the agency's response to the FEMA/formaldehyde issue." From the executive summary: "Created in 1980 by Congress, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), based in Atlanta, Georgia, is a federal public health agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. "As part of its mandate to protect the public from harmful environmental chemicals the agency performs 'public health assessments of waste sites, health consultations concerning specific hazardous substances, health surveillance and registries, response to emergency releases of hazardous substances, applied research in support of public health assessments, information development and dissemination, and education and training concerning hazardous substances.' [...] ATSDR failed to translate its scientific findings and facts into appropriate public health actions to properly inform and warn FEMA and the tens of thousands of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita survivors living in FEMA-provided trailers and mobile homes of the potential health risks they faced from exposure to formaldehyde. Instead, ATSDR's reaction was marred by scientific flaws, ineffective leadership, a sluggish response to inform trailer residents of the potential risks they faced, and a lack of urgency to actually remove them from harm's way. Most disturbingly, there was a concerted and continuing effort by the agency's leadership to both mask their own involvement in the formaldehyde study, and to push the blame for their fumbling of this critical public health issue down the line to others."