DoomsdaysCW · @DoomsdaysCW
1398 followers · 18336 posts · Server kolektiva.social

The Danger of ‘Invisible’ Across the U.S.

Opinion by Dan Greene, August 31, 2023

"Recently, many residents were disturbed to learn that a small, privately-operated bio lab in the town of was shut down by Fresno County Department of Public Health officials after they found that it had been improperly managing almost 1,000 laboratory mice and samples of infectious diseases including , , , , , , and . The lab was registered to a company called that sold a variety of medical testing kits, including for pregnancy and COVID-19, and it was likely storing disease samples for the purpose of developing and validating its testing kits. Government authorities are still investigating the company’s history, but it appears to have previously operated a lab in Fresno under the name Universal MediTech, where city officials flagged it for investigation regarding improperly stored chemicals.

"From what is publicly known, the Reedley lab should likely have followed proper biosafety practices to minimize the risks of an , and it apparently failed to do so. It could have caused illness, disruption, or even death among local communities and beyond depending on the circumstances of an outbreak. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention () maintains a system of four 'Biosafety Level' standards that are used worldwide for work with dangerous pathogens. Based on the pathogens that were being used at the Reedley lab, it probably should have followed Biosafety Level 3, which involves controlling the airflow inside the lab as well as a host of other practices, equipment, and facility design requirements.

"Yet, astonishingly, the U.S. government seems to not have even known that the Reedley lab existed until it was discovered by chance by Jesalyn Harper, an observant local city code enforcement officer—the only such officer working full-time in the entire city. Once discovered, the Fresno County and California Departments of Public Health found it to be in violation of local and state codes, including those for registering clinical labs and managing medical waste. Based on our reading of available information, it was likely also in violation of federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations for protecting workers from bloodborne pathogens. But these codes require proactive reporting, and the lab simply never reported any issues to regulators. In slightly different circumstances, it would likely have continued to operate unnoticed for a long time."

msn.com/en-us/health/other/the


Potential

#biolabs #california #centralvalley #reedley #COVID19 #Rubella #malaria #dengue #Chlamydia #hepatitis #HIV #prestigebiotech #outbreak #cdc #biohazard #LabSafety #pathogens #pandemic #LabLeak

Last updated 1 year ago

Dr. Sébastien Lapointe · @SLapointeChem
141 followers · 118 posts · Server mastodon.online

Please always be careful of gas mixtures, and of grounding.

RT @c0nc0rdance@twitter.com

Let's talk about the 2016 University of Hawaii-Manoa lab explosion as a case study in practices.

A few of the photos will be marked sensitive because a postdoc lost an arm in the explosion & there's blood at the scene.

This story is a warning to all researchers.

🐦🔗: twitter.com/c0nc0rdance/status

#LabSafety #chemtwitter

Last updated 2 years ago

c0nc0rdance · @c0nc0rdance
390 followers · 60 posts · Server mastodon.cloud

Let's talk about the 2016 University of Hawaii-Manoa lab explosion as a case study in practices.

A few of the photos will be marked sensitive because a postdoc lost an arm in the explosion & there's blood at the scene.

This story is a warning to all researchers.

#LabSafety

Last updated 2 years ago

Pat · @Pat
125 followers · 2265 posts · Server qoto.org

_
The truth is...

New evidence points to the supposition that the CoVID-19 vaccine escaped from the lab.

----------------------------
= A statement that is logically or literally true (or partly true), but seems to imply something that isn’t true or is just plain weird. (for rhetoric, logic or propaganda studies… or just for fun)

#vaccine #virus #wuhan #lab #china #COVID19 #coronavirus #cspan #LabSafety #truthbetold

Last updated 3 years ago