Community Corner

Biolab Doesn't Score an A+ on Its Inspection

CDC inspectors listed several areas of concern for a UGA research facility.

Several things were deficient with a UGA animal research facility, inspectors from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found when they made a surprise visit to campus last month.

University officials downplayed the criticism as minor for the Animal Health Research Center, according to a story in Monday’s Athens Banner Herald. Scientists use the Carlton Street center for research on diseases which are potentially dangerous to people, including bird flu and SARS.

The building has been plagued with problems since it was originally built more than a decade ago. Initially, it had so many problems that it was torn down and rebuilt in order to meet safety standards, jacking up the price from $21 to $63 million.

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The CDC inspectors found what Sheila Allen, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine, said was a "brief, temporary airflow reversal in some labs.”

CDC inspectors told UGA biosafety officials that workers need to keep better records in some areas. They also wanted the university to change the decontamination procedure which workers follow when they leave the lab, the Banner Herald said.

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All the other CDC concerns can be addressed with paperwork, Allen said.

 

 


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