Aberdeen general named in anthrax investigation

Officials at a U.S. Army biodefense lab in Utah had multiple warning signs of safety issues but failed to take steps that could have averted the mistaken shipment of live anthrax to other labs, according to a military investigation report released on Friday.

While Army investigators say no single event or individual was directly responsible for the inadvertent shipment of the active anthrax, a number of people including leaders at Dugway should be held accountable.

The review singled out Brigadier General William E. King IV, who was in command at Dugway as a colonel from July 2009 to July 2011, saying he “repeatedly deflected blame and minimized the severity of incidents”, USA Today reported.

The other eleven officers and technicians associated with the lab were also found to have failed to take precautions or safety measures in management and delivery procedures.

At last count, live anthrax samples were sent to at least 194 labs and contractors in all 50 states and nine foreign countries, plus the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Guam.

Surveillance cameras at Dugway showed personnel dropping anthrax samples and failing to properly clean up, for example. “We did find, through evidence, that a combination of events, including gaps in science, institutional issues, and personal accountability, when taken together, each contributed to this event”.

The report said that during his time as Dugway commander King had a duty to “think strategically” about how a series of flaws and mistakes at the lab during his tenure were related, to notice that they had widespread implications throughout Dugway Proving Ground, and to investigate and remedy problems.

Major General Ostrowski led the 6-month investigation into the shipments from Dugway.

“Colonel King responded to each incident by correcting deficiencies identified by outside organizations, but he failed to conduct internal reviews to improve the operations of (Dugway Proving Ground) and prevent future incidents”, the report said.

The brigadier general who oversaw the bio-defense lab is among a dozen others facing disciplinary action.

The names of 11 other individuals were blacked out in the publicly released report.

Army officials stressed at a Pentagon press conference Friday that these failures “did not pose a risk to public health”, mostly because the lab workers who handled the anthrax spores “used proper protective equipment at all times”, said Maj.

“Over the years, significant safeguards effectively ensured that the inadvertent shipments were not a threat”, the investigation said. This also eliminates the lab’s mission of producing biological agents for export.

The problem was revealed when a commercial lab in Maryland tested a shipment from Dugway and found live bacteria. “We must investigate the irradiation process, which is the preferred method of inactivating anthrax”.

“With respect to the gaps in science, we have a lot to do”, Ostrowski said.