CDC Begins Search for Lab Safety Chief

Ryan Bushey, Associate Editor

There was no safety chief in charge after several mishaps with Anthrax, bird flu, and Ebola. Source: Shutterstock

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is looking to add laboratory safety chief to its ranks, according to an exclusive report from Reuters. [1]

An internal memo Reuters obtained explained the creation of this new position. It was recommended after a long internal investigation into several mishaps with biohazards at CDC labs.

In June 2014, 86 workers at the CDC’s Atlanta lab were exposed to Anthrax [2]. This exposure occurred because the laboratory technicians handling the material believed it was inactive and they subsequently did not don the proper safety equipment.

Another similar incident involving Ebola occurred last month.

The Washington Post reported [3] that researchers studying Ebola “mistakenly allowed potentially lethal samples of the virus to be handled in a much less secure laboratory” at the CDC’s laboratory in Atlanta. About 12 people were being tested for exposure after entering the building.

One lab tech may have had direct contact and is being closely monitored [4] for the standard 21 days of quarantine for Ebola.

Molecular biologist and biosafety expert Richard Ebright [5] told Reuters how this chain of events could keep happening.

Basically, a CDC lab works on a pathogen that should be “inactivated,” but is not. The sample could then get shipped to multiple facilities without verification of its sterility. No one would re-test the sample because the first lab didn’t tell the others that the material was still live. Workers at the final facility would then test what they believe to be a harmless pathogen and therefore not wear the proper protective gear.

"The person selected…[for this position]…will be empowered to identify problems, establish plans to solve them, and hold programs throughout CDC accountable for follow-up," CDC spokeswoman Barbara Reynolds explained to Reuters in an email regarding what this new position would entail.

CDC microbiologist Dr. Leslie Dauphin will take over the role for the time being, according to Reuters. She’ll consult with an outside group of experts and explore different technologies in order to implement strong safety protocols. The search for her successor is underway, but no timeline has been set for when someone else could take over the new lab safety role.