OT:Blasting will resume near CDC labs holding deadly germs

[Guest guest]

Blasting will resume near CDC labs holding deadly germs

Atlanta Journal Constitution - GA*

By CRAIG SCHNEIDER

Published on: 08/15/07

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/dekalb/stories/2007/08/15/cdcb

last_0816_web.html

Construction crews are blasting within 30 feet of " hot " labs holding

deadly germs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in

Atlanta, on a site where a blast in May shattered three windows and

damaged two others in lab buildings.

The agency has adopted stiffer safety measures for the current round

of blasting, said CDC spokesman Tom Skinner. Skinner said the

earlier blast did not threaten the security of the labs and the

agency is taking the issue " very seriously. "

One of the broken windows from the May 18 blast was on the same

floor as a lab that handles the deadliest germs, such as Ebola.

Another was 15 feet from a lab that handles slightly less dangerous,

but still potentially deadly germs.

The blast damaged exterior windows on two buildings and did not

penetrate the interior walls or windows of the labs or the safety

cabinets in which the biological agents are handled, said Skinner.

" Even if a rock had penetrated into one of the laboratories, we have

safety redundancies in place that assure our workers' safety as well

as the safety of the community, " Skinner said.

He added, " The chance of that resulting in any kind of infection for

workers or the community is pretty close to zero. "

The CDC shut down blasting for a month after the May blast, and has

implemented several additional safety measures. The agency has hired

a blasting expert to review the plans and monitor the blasts. Rubber

mats are placed over the blast holes to prevent flying debris.

Construction crews will blast Thursday and Friday, and are expected

to perform about 100 explosions from November of last year to

September.

The blasting is needed to remove about 80,000 cubic yards of

granite — filling about 8,000 dump trucks — as part of constructing

a 13-story, $365 million building to house labs and holding areas

for animals and insects for research and testing. CDC construction

manager Sam Tarr said the granite cannot be removed with mechanical

diggers.

Construction work on this same new building was blamed in June for

damaging the lightning protection system at a separate CDC

infectious disease lab. That contributed to an hour long power

outage at the building. No damage, danger of escaped infectious

agents, or injuries were reported.

Blasting on Wednesday occurred about 100 yards away from the

building with the highest level of safety lab. Tarr anticipates

blasting as close as 30 feet from the building within two weeks.

Labs at CDC are designed with four safety levels for handling

infectious agents. The most dangerous work occurs in Biosafety Level

3 and 4 labs.

In Level 4 labs, workers wear protective moon suits and gloves and

work with infectious agents for which there is no cure, such as

Ebola, which causes one of the most virulent viral diseases known,

resulting in death in 50 to 90% of all clinically ill cases.

In Level 3 labs, scientists wear protective gloves and breath

through battery-operated respirators.

Building 15, which had two windows broken and two others damaged in

the May blast, contains both Level 3 and 4 labs. One broken window

was on the same floor as a Level 4 lab, about 150 feet down the

hall, officials said.

No scientists were working in the lab at the time of the blast.

Skinner said he did not know what agents may have been in the lab.

Another window broken was a portal window on an exterior door of

Building 15.

Flying rock also penetrated one pane of a double-pane window on a

separate floor of Building 15, about 15 feet from a Level 3 lab. And

flying debris did the same damage to a lower level window.

Building 17, which has Level 2 and 3 labs, had a window broken

outside an elevator lobby. That was about 50 feet from a Level 3

lab, Skinner said.

Skinner said the exterior windows are separated from the labs by a

corridor that is 8 feet wide. The labs stand behind concrete walls

about 6 inches thick, and scientists work with the most dangerous

agents in biological safety cabinets. Air is channeled into these

cabinets and then run through a series of filters before being

released, he said.

Tarr, the CDC construction manager, said he believes the May

problems were caused because the explosion occurred in rock that had

a seam running through it, so the rock did not have customary

resistance and flew farther.

Kaufman, president of the Laboratory Safety Institute near

Boston, stressed the need for safety at these labs.

" These are biological agents that you don't want to get out, " he

said.

As for the broken windows incident at CDC, he said, " We have

problems and we solve them. ... I think (CDC) is more proactive than

many of us. "

[Guest guest]

Sounds intelligent, seems like there could be a better way to ensure

the safety of the people nearby.

>

> Blasting will resume near CDC labs holding deadly germs

> Atlanta Journal Constitution - GA*

> By CRAIG SCHNEIDER

> Published on: 08/15/07

>

>

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/dekalb/stories/2007/08/15/cdcb

> last_0816_web.html

>

> Construction crews are blasting within 30 feet of " hot " labs

holding

> deadly germs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in

> Atlanta, on a site where a blast in May shattered three windows and

> damaged two others in lab buildings.

>