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High risk of accidents in US biolabs behind their transfer to third countries - top brass

US private laboratories not supervised by government, Igor Kirillov said

MOSCOW, November 26. /TASS/. A high risk of accidents in the US biological laboratories has triggered their relocation to third countries, including Ukraine, Chief of Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Protection Troops Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov said on Saturday ahead of the Ninth Review Conference of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC).

"The high risk of accidents in US biolaboratories is one of the reasons for their withdrawal from national jurisdiction and transfer to the territory of third countries, including Ukraine and other post-Soviet states. This explains the worsening of the epidemic situation in their locations and the emergence of diseases and their vectors that are not typical of these regions," he said.

There is no control over private biological laboratories in the United States despite the fact that they carry out research with highly dangerous pathogens, Chief of Nuclear, Kirillov.

"I would like to point out that in the US, the system for controlling safety violations in biolaboratories is decentralized and covers only facilities that receive federal funding. There is little or no oversight of private laboratories, even though they conduct research with highly dangerous pathogens. The lack of uniform standards for such facilities creates risks of bypassing the BWC and grossly violating biosafety requirements," Kirillov said.