The U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases in Frederick, Maryland, is designed to handle pathogens that cause serious or potentially lethal diseases, which require the research performed on them be contained to specialized laboratories. In 2007 a decision was made to expand those facilities causing concern among area residents that public health and safety risks, and strategies to mitigate those concerns were not adequately considered in the decision to go forward with the expansion. In Evaluation of the Health and Safety Risks of the New USAMRIID High Containment Facilities at Fort Detrick, Maryland a group of experts in areas including biosafety, infectious diseases, industrial hygiene, environmental engineering, risk assessment and epidemiology, explored whether measures were being taken to ensure prevention and mitigation of risk to the health and safety of workers and the public. They also assessed whether the procedures and regulations employed meet accepted standards of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health.

Evaluation of the Health and Safety Risks of the New USAMRIID High Containment Facilities at Fort Detrick, Maryland evaluates the health and safety aspects of the environmental impact statement developed to support the construction of the new laboratories and explores the institute's operating requirements, medical and emergency management response plans and communication and cooperation with the public. The book recommends that USAMRIID continue to set high standards for advancing security, operational, and biosurety measures, and that additional measures be taken to provide assurance that experienced medical professionals are readily available to consult on unusual infectious diseases. It also suggests that USAMRIID expand its two-way communications with the public.

Contents

• THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
• COMMITTEE TO REVIEW THE HEALTH AND SAFETYRISKS OF HIGH-BIOCONTAINMENT LABORATORIES AT FORT DETRICK
• BOARD ON LIFE SCIENCES
• Preface
• Abbreviations
• Summary
  • ASSESSMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT
  • REGULATIONS AND OPERATING REQUIREMENTS OF THE NEW LABORATORY
  • MEDICAL AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT RESPONSE
  • COMMUNICATION AND COOPERATION WITH THE PUBLIC
• 1. Introduction
  • CONTEXT
  • COMMITTEE’S APPROACH
  • ORGANIZATION OF THE REPORT
• 2. Comparative Evaluation of Procedures and Regulations for Biocontainment Facilities
  • BIOCONTAINMENT
  • BIOSAFETY AT USAMRIID RELATIVE TO NIH AND CDC RULES AND GUIDELINES
  • BIOSURETY
  • BIOSECURITY
  • CASE STUDIES OF RECENT EVENTS AT USAMRIID
  • FINDINGS
  • RECOMMENDATIONS
• 3. Medical and Emergency Management Response
  • MEDICAL AND PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICES
  • EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT RESPONSE
  • FINDINGS
  • RECOMMENDATIONS
• 4. Review of the USAMRIID Environmental Impact Statement
  • POTENTIAL SCENARIOS IN THE CONTEXT OF MAXIMUM CREDIBLE EVENTS AND RISKS TO THE COMMUNITY
  • POTENTIAL SCENARIOS IN THE CONTEXT OF MAXIMUM CREDIBLE EVENTS AND RISKS TO PERSONNEL
  • CONSIDERATION OF ALTERNATIVE CONSTRUCTION SITES
  • FINDINGS
  • RECOMMENDATION
• 5. Communications and Cooperation with the Public
  • ROOTS OF PUBLIC CONCERN
  • PUBLIC CONCERNS ABOUT THE RELEASE OF PATHOGENS
  • THE IMPORTANCE OF TRUST
  • A NEW APPROACH TO COMMUNICATIONS AND COOPERATION WITH THE PUBLIC
  • FINDINGS
  • RECOMMENDATIONS
• References
• Appendix Biographical Information on the Committee to Review the Health and Safety Risks of High-Biocontainment Laboratories at Fort Detrick

This project was supported by Contract No. W81K04-06-D-0023 between the National Academy of Sciences and the U.S. Department of Defense. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the organizations or agencies that provided support for this project.

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.