A contractor at one of North America’s highest-security labs jeopardized a potentially deadly outbreak as part of a personal dispute.
According to a health and welfare official, researchers damaged colleagues’ personal protective equipment after a romantic conflict. This took place in early March at the Integrated Research Facility located at Fort Detrick Army Base in Frederick, Maryland, but the director, Bhattacharya, only found out weeks later.
On April 29th at 5 PM, all research activities at the facility were suspended indefinitely.
“NIH has paused research at the Integrated Research Facility in Fort Detrick, during what we call a safety standdown,” stated Bradley Moss, communications director for NIH’s Research Services. “This action follows the discovery of personnel issues involving contracted workers who violated our safety protocols, prompting a halt to research. During these pauses, we limit activities to only essential personnel to safeguard the facility and its resources.”
An investigation into the PPE incident indicates a “pattern of safety not being taken seriously” returning to the Biden administration.
HHS Secretary Robert Kennedy called the decision wise. The facility conducts risk-intensive studies on some of the world’s most dangerous pathogens, including Lassa Fever and SARS-COV-2, making it one of the few such research centers in North America.
With 168 employees, including contractors, the facility saw the contractor who interfered with PPE terminated. The director, Connie Schmaljun, is currently on administrative leave due to delays in reporting the incident, according to HHS officials.
Schmaljohn has not provided comments upon request.
In a tweet on Wednesday, Bhattacharya described the incident as “serious,” warning, “This could lead to a lab leak!”
There’s no timeline yet for when research might resume. “I won’t reopen my lab until I can guarantee zero risk to public safety,” Bhattacharya emphasized. “No more lab-generated pandemics!”
“The sacrifices involved in research are immense,” remarked Gigi Kwik Gronval from the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. “If equipment is unused for extended periods, it costs significantly more to prepare for future use.”
Reports have shown that safety protocol violations have occurred repeatedly at the facility since the Biden administration took office. Bhattacharya noted that the investigation into the PPE incident reflects ongoing safety concerns that were not properly addressed.
