Report Finds Serious Security Flaws in Research Labs

A new report from the Government Accountability Office has found that intruders could easily break into two laboratories where researchers handle some of the world’s deadliest germs. Do these security flaws mean we are at a greater risk of falling victim to biological terrorism?

The Associated Press’ Larry Margasak says the labs are in Atlanta and San Antonio. The report did not identify the labs specifically, but did say they are classified as Biosafety Level 4 facilities. Margasak says, though, the report gives just enough knowledge to determine the labs’ locations.

Biosafety Level 4 labs conduct research on deadly germs and toxins. One lab in Texas “features an outside window that looks directly into the room where the deadly germs are handled,” Margasak says. “The lab, which is privately run, also lacks many security cameras, intrusion detection alarms or visible armed guards at its public entrances. Officials there said they will tighten security.”

The other lab described with weak security in the report is operated by Georgia State University in Atlanta, Margasak says. “That lab lacked complete security barriers and any integrated security system, including any live monitoring by security cameras. During their review, investigators said they watched an unidentified pedestrian enter the building through an unguarded loading dock,” he says.

Margasak says the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approved the labs in San Antonio and Atlanta to handle the deadly organisms despite the security weaknesses.