Texas A&M University in College Station has agreed to pay a $1-million fine for lapses in biosafety procedures. The failures resulted in lab workers becoming exposed to several deadly pathogens, including the organisms that cause brucellosis and Q fever.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia, shut down all biodefence-related research at the university last June, after the violations came to light. A&M officials say they have since stepped up safety procedures and training for lab workers. The university had suggested it deserved a $10,000 fine.
CDC officials will visit the university in March, and if the labs pass the inspection, biodefence research could resume shortly afterwards.
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Biosafety lapses cost Texas A&M $1 million. Nature 451, 1041 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/4511041c
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/4511041c