Greg Koblentz, a member of the Center’s Scientists Working Group of Chemical and Biological Threats, spoke with The Washington Post about biosafety in BSL-4 labs.
“Global Biolabs, the advocacy group, found that nearly 1 in 10 BSL-4 labs operating in other countries score poorly in international rankings for lab safety. In some cases, labs were constructed without local regulations or meaningful oversight of the handling of dangerous pathogens, or “even a well-established culture of responsible research,” said Gregory Koblentz, a co-author of the Global Biolabs report and the director of the biodefense graduate program at George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government.
Most countries lack the sophisticated controls needed to prevent dangerous viruses or bacteria from being misused or diverted for illicit purposes, he said. “This is a major blind spot in global surveillance for future biological threats,” Koblentz said.” Read more
