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The Group for the South Fork would like to congratulate the members of the Coalition of
Neighborhoods for the Protection of Sag Harbor (CONPOSH) for taking the initiative to sponsor a community forum on the safety and
bio-security issues facing the Plum Island Animal Disease Research Facility. The CONPOSH event clearly demonstrated
the broad base of grass roots public interest in the safety, bio-security, and accountability problems at Plum
Island.
We were extremely pleased that -- after some internal debate and hesitation -- Plum Island's new director Dr. Beth Lautner agreed to join me and Congressman Tim Bishop at the Sag Harbor meeting held in late June. The forum provided each participant with an opportunity to present his or her assessment of the facility, its progress on safety and security issues and the concerns that remain to be addressed. Those attending also had the opportunity to directly question those on the panel. The presence of Dr. Lautner at this meeting was a major step forward for the facility, which had of late been resistant to numerous recommendations for increased public availability and oversight. We believe the event also demonstrated to Dr. Lautner that those seeking such meetings are not simply trying to subject the facility to irresponsible public attacks. Questions posed by those in the audience were thoughtful, probing and exceptionally even-handed. We remain hopeful that this meeting had a positive impact on our continuing campaign to have top Plum Island officials schedule periodic open meetings on both the North and South Forks. We are strongly advocating that these meetings provide the public with access to the facility's technical experts and leadership to assure that such meetings do not degenerate into a simple public relations campaign for the lab. We are joined in this goal by our colleagues on the North Fork, as well as by those representatives from Congressman Tim Bishop and Senator Hillary Clinton's offices who are also active members of the lab's "Community Forum" . NOW THE BAD NEWS Within a month of Dr. Lautner's presentation at the CONPOSH forum in Sag Harbor, Plum Island officials confirmed two separate cross-contamination events that resulted in the "inadvertent infections" of several lab animals with foot and mouth disease. Although the infections were reportedly contained within the facility's secure laboratory areas, Plum Island officials could not offer an explanation as to how either of the infections occurred. In each case, the errant infections resulted in the destruction of several lab animals major sterilization efforts within the contaminated research areas. Although lab officials reported the cross contamination to the organizations and political officials that have been actively involved in the ongoing efforts to improve the safety and security at the facility (including the Group), they failed to notify either the press or the Suffolk County Executive. This failure in public notification renewed concerns about whether the facility is actually committed to increased information-sharing and transparency pertaining to the lab's operations. At best, the failure to communicate what happened to the public was a significant lapse in judgment. On the bio-safety side, these two contamination events provide clear evidence that facility operations still leave much to be desired and much more to be improved. Based on the information we have received regarding these events, the Group has proposed a series of new safety and security procedures that we hope to have enacted at the facility. These recommendations include: the installation of monitoring cameras within all secure animal rooms; the requirement of a third-party assessment of all final Plum Island incident reports; the requirement for individual staff de-briefing after any contamination event; and a set of clear-cut criteria for public disclosure regarding any contamination or procedural anomalies related to pathogen research at the facility. The Group for the South Fork will also work with its partners in the Coalition for Safety and Security of Plum Island to develop a formal calendar of quarterly public meetings. We will seek to organize these meetings at locations across the East End and call upon lab officials to report on specific safety, security and environmental issues, improvements, anomalies and accidents. We will ask that these meeting also include representation from other involved agencies such as the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the Suffolk County Health Services and Fire Rescue Emergency Departments, along with elected officials and the press. These meetings should also provide sufficient time for community questions and input. What You Can Do: Contact these government officials: U.S. Congressman Tim Bishop c/o Jane Finalborgo 33 Flying Point Road Suite 119 Southampton New York 11968 631-696-6500 phone 631-696-4250 fax U.S. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton c/o Resi Cooper 155 Pinelawn Road Suite 250 North Melville, New York 11747 631-249-2825 phone 631-249-2847 fax Thank these elected officials for their interest in improving the safety and security at Plum Island and ask for their support in developing a set schedule of public information meetings across the East End and a strict protocol for public notification when biosafety or environmental incidents occur at Plum Island.
Dr. Beth Lautner, Director US Dept. of Homeland Security Plum Island Animal Disease Center P.O. Box 848 Greenport, New York 11944 Fax: 631-323-3295 Tell Dr. Lautner that the recent foot and mouth disease contamination events at Plum Island are a clear sign that the facility must improve its bio-safety and security procedures. Tell her that you want the lab to increase its public accountability and agree to a set schedule of public meetings on the North and South Forks. These meetings should give the public an opportunity to hear from the lab, involved agencies and elected officials, and provide ample opportunity for questions from the press and members of the community. |
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