(Austin, 31 Jan 2005) - Don't count on the US Centers for Disease

Control (CDC) to tell the public about biological weapons accidents.

CDC's refusal to divulge information about the Boston University

tularemia incidents will come as cold comfort for the tens of

millions in the US who live close to (proposed) biological weapons

labs, according to the Sunshine Project.

Tularemia infections related to NIH-funded bioweapons research at

Boston University have recently made international headlines; but

last week CDC refused a legal request to divulge what it knew, and

what it knows, about the circumstances that led to the biological

weapons accidents.

On January 22nd, the Sunshine Project filed an Expedited Freedom of

Information Act Request that asked for the dates on which Boston

University researchers and labs were first permitted to work with

virulent strains of tularemia. It also requested immediate release of

CDC correspondence with Boston University during May and June 2004,

when the first, apparently undetected, tularemia infections occurred.

Understanding the dates of permits under the US select agent rules

and Boston University's relationship with CDC might reveal important

information about the accidents.

But CDC rejected the request on January 25th. It sent its reply by US

Mail, which took four days to arrive. In its refusal, CDC made a

dubious determination under the law. In order to delay its response

for months or more, CDC determined that there is no urgent need to

inform the public about the tularemia accidents nor a reasonable

expectation that release of the requested information would

ameliorate a threat human life and safety - namely, Boston

University's biological weapons research.

CDC (Atlanta, GA) and the NIH Office of Biotechnology Activities

(OBA) in Bethesda, MD, are the two US government offices that are,

insofar as rules exist, in charge of the safety of civilian

biological weapons research. Unlike many aspects of laboratory

biosafety, permits for work with virulent tularemia are a legal

requirement. The United States does not have comprehensive biosafety

and laboratory accident reporting laws.

The Sunshine Project has been calling for comprehensive federal

biosafety law mandating accident reporting and public disclosure

since last year, when it published a lengthy report detailing the

sorry state of US biosafety committees.

"Boston University's tularemia problems have popped the balloon of

bloated and distorted safety claims about the biodefense program,"

says Sunshine Project Director Edward Hammond, "CDC secrecy about

biological weapons accidents will shake remaining confidence in

laboratory safety not only in Boston; but nationwide. By rejecting

disclosure, CDC is signaling intent to continue with the status quo

of indifference, underreporting and secrecy. The solution is to reign

in the sprawling and palpably dangerous biodefense program and to

mandate reporting and prompt public disclosure of laboratory

accidents."

----

To view the Sunshine Project FOIA request:

http://www.sunshine-project.org/publications/pr/pr220105.html

For more information on the state of US Institutional Biosafety Committees:

http://www.sunshine-project.org/biodefense/ibcreport.html

-end-

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(See: http://www.sunshine-project.org)

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