High-Containment Laboratories: National Strategy for Oversight Is Needed

U.S. laboratories working with dangerous biological pathogens have proliferated in recent years. As a result, the public is concerned about the oversight of these laboratories. The GAO was asked to determine (1) to what extent, and in what areas, the number of high-containment laboratories has increased in the United States, (2) which federal agency is responsible for tracking this expansion and determining the associated aggregate risks, and (3) lessons learned from highly publicized incidents at these laboratories and actions taken by the regulatory agencies. GAO surveyed and interviewed federal agency officials, consulted with experts in microbiology, reviewed literature, conducted site visits, and analyzed incidents at high-containment laboratories.

Author:
U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO)
Publish Date:
September 2009

View Document