By Matt Korade, CQ Staff
Top Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee vowed to expand their investigation of security risks at labs used to study lethal pathogens -- including a review of personnel security at Fort Detrick, Md.
Fort Detrick was the workplace of Bruce Ivins, the suspect in the 2001 anthrax attacks who committee suicide last month.
Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman John D. Dingell and Bart Stupak, chair of the House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, are also calling on President Bush to start his own investigation of personnel security at the Army's Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases and all other federal labs where similar research is conducted.
The Michigan Democrats urged Bush to issue a government-wide moratorium on the construction of any new high-security labs until a review is completed and the results are provided to the appropriate congressional committees.
"I'm deeply troubled by the allegations raised about security at one of our nation's premier labs handling some of the deadliest germs in the world," Dingell said in a statement. "Our nation is at serious risk if one of our government's most prominent scientists could have a decade-long battle with mental illness without anyone noticing.
The committee will continue working on identifying security shortcomings at these facilities and determining how best to rectify the problems. We encourage concerned individuals, community groups and local governments around the country who have specific allegations of security breaches and safety problems to contact our staff."
Biosafety-level-three and -four labs conduct research into highly infectious viruses and biological agents that cause serious injury or death. Some of the world's most exotic and dangerous diseases are handled at these facilities, including anthrax, foot and mouth disease, and the Ebola virus. The committee launched an inquiry into the risks associated with these labs because of their proliferation in the last few years.
The committee has also asked the Government Accountability Office to study the safety risks associated with the labs.
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