Dangerous Viruses Not Always Secured at the CDC

If you watch television shows about the release of harmful viruses and bacteria, these dangerous pathogens are always stored under lock and key in a secure facility that absolutely no one could possibly breach without a Mission Impossible type of covert operation.  It would never be possible to simply just walk through an unlocked door and take what you wanted, would it?  Or would it?

ABC News reported today that doors at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta have repeatedly been left unlocked at the nation's top bio-terror lab.  This is where our government stores and does research on deadly biological agents, such as the SARS virus and anthrax. The CDC was featured in the Dustin Hoffman movie "Outbreak," as well as the movie "Contagion," both of which dealt with the topic of what could happen if a dangerous pathogen ever got loose among the general public.  It has also figured prominently in books on the same topic, such as "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston and "Virus Hunter" by C.J. Peters, who is the former head of the Special Pathogens Branch at the CDC.  The CDC knows exactly how risky any security lapses can be.

The CDC acknowledges that the doors were left unlocked, but insists there was never a danger to anyone because of it.  However, there was at least once known instance in which someone without security clearance was found wandering around in a restricted area.  With all the publicity about the existence of dangerous pathogens in the CDC, employees there are well aware that this could be a dangerous situation; however, the only way it came to the attention of the media was through leaked CDC emails.

Since this situation has come to light, officials at the CDC have tried to reassure the public that they were never in danger because there are other levels of security in addition to the unlocked doors.  However, what if a deadly virus had been released inside the CDC?  It is possible that employees could have left home that day carrying the virus inside their own bodies, and not even know it?

This is not the only problem discovered at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.  They have also had trouble with the air flow system which is designed to keep dangerous airborn particulates from escaping into other parts of the facility, thereby endangering the lives of everyone from research scientists to file clerks and receptionists. 

Because of recent publicity about the problems at this facility, which cost $214 million to build, Congress has launched an investigation into the safety measures there.  Hopefully, they will be able to find a way to make the building more secure, and make absolutely certain that the procedures for handling dangerous substances in real life will be taken at least as seriously as they are when depicted on television shows.

Sources:  http://gma.yahoo.com/security-lapses-revealed-cdc-bio-terror-laboratory-133959955--abc-news-topstories.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centers_for_Disease_Control_and_Prevention