CDC Shuts Down Military Germ Lab Due to Safety Concerns

Handle with care!

CDC You Later

At the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), scientists study some of the most dangerous pathogens on Earth — from Ebola to the plague — in an effort to prepare the nation for the possibility of biological warfare.

Or, at least, they used to.

On Friday, the Frederick News-Post reported that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had ordered the military germ lab to "cease and desist" all research involving high-level disease-causing materials — because it failed a June safety inspection.

Safety... Second?

According to the News-Post's story, the CDC discovered during its inspection that USAMRIID workers didn't consistently follow established procedures and didn't receive periodic recertification training.

The wastewater decontamination system at the germ lab was also leaking, but lab spokesperson Caree Vander Linden told The New York Times the leaks were all within the facility.

Thankfully, the CDC didn't find any signs that the pathogens studied within the USAMRIID had made their way out of the germ lab despite its subpar safety practices — and now that its most dangerous research is on hold, they hopefully never will.

READ MORE: Fort Detrick lab shut down after failed safety inspection; all research halted indefinitely [The Frederick News-Post]

More on bioweapons: Synthetic Biological Weapons May Be Coming. Here’s How To Fight Them.