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Flawed Study at Plum Island?

By Tiffany Razzano

As the Department of Homeland Security considers whether to upgrade the animal research laboratory on Plum Island, a National Bio- and Agro-Defense Facility, up one notch to a Bio Safety Level 4 - the highest level permitted, allowing the lab to study dangerous anima-borne diseases transferrable to humans - or move it to the mainland, the General Accountability Office testified last week that the government is relying on a flawed study.

They say the study doesn't include any proof that it's safe to shift the laboratory, which these days primarily studies foot-and-mouth disease, to the mainland. An accidental release of the disease could be detrimental to the country's economy and bring the livestock industry to a standstill.

The aging Plum Island Animal Disease Center, which has been in use since the '50s, is one of six finalists for the future location of a BSL-4 lab, which would be the only one of its kind in existence. Federal officials have said the island is the least likely candidate for the newest location, despite conducting extensive reviews and holding Town Hall meetings in Southold.

Local officials, including Tim Bishop, Fred Thiele and Scott Russell, and area residents have argued that the North Fork doesn't have a proper evacuation plan and such a dangerous laboratory has no place being so close to a major metropolitan area. A Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the site should be submitted in June and will be followed by another public meeting. The DHS will likely make its decision sometime later this year.

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