u.s. shuts high-security labs over concerns about air hose safety - hepa air filter replacement

By Julie Steenhuysen (Reuters)-The U. S.
The agency said on Friday that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had closed its highest safety biosafety laboratory after it found that hoses that provided air to scientists wearing special protective suits had never been approved for use.
Stephan Monroe, deputy director of science and safety at CDC labs, told Reuters: "We have no evidence that anyone is affected by health by breathing the air in these hoses . ".
Monroe said he believes scientists will not be exposed to pathogens because of the air they breathe through an efficient air filter.
The suits they wear also use positive air pressure to prevent pathogens from entering the suits.
Monroe was appointed as a newly created position in 2015 in response to a month --
On 2014, the CDC laboratory conducted a long-term internal investigation into the improper handling of anthrax fever, bird flu and Ebola.
The CDC is now conducting safety tests to determine if scientists have been exposed to harmful chemicals passing through air hoses.
The problem stems from the level of biosafety in 2005 --
A laboratory where scientists deal with the most dangerous biological agents.
Air hoses are part of the building's infrastructure.
They fall from different ports in the lab and scientists insert hoses into their suits from different workstations.
About 100 former scientists and current scientists have worked in one of three laboratories since CDC's BSL
Four buildings were cleared for use in 2008.
Earlier this week, CDC informed the person who used the air hose.
CDC officials learned about the issue Monday when ordering replacement hoses, and the manufacturer told them that they did not have the certification to breathe air.
Monroe declined to name the company.
He said the CDC often tests the air quality in tanks that deliver hoses to ensure it meets the standards set by the Occupational Safety and Health Authority.
"We have been testing the air in the tank.
"It's not the air coming out of the hose," he said . ".
The CDC will now test the air in the old pipe to check for any toxic chemicals, but Monroe says there is no evidence that breathing air from the hose can cause any adverse effects.
CDC has ordered a replacement pipeline that is expected to be installed this weekend and plans to re-launch the lab next week.
Monroe said the agency's rapid response to the problem stems from efforts to change the CDC's safety culture since 2014 accidents.
The agency has notified officials who oversee the federal selection agency program for CDC's selection of agency laboratories and is sharing information with other safety officers of laboratories that may use similar hoses. (
Report by Dipika Jain in Bangalore;
Edited pony Samuel and David Gregory)