[NukeNet] GROUP SEEKS ANSWERS ABOUT LIVERMORE ANTHRAX RELEASE

[Marylia Kelley]

for more information, contact
Marylia Kelley, Executive Director, Tri-Valley CAREs, (925) 443-7148
Robert Schwartz, Staff Attorney, Tri-Valley CAREs, (925) 443-7148

for immediate release, Tuesday, October 9, 2007
COMMUNITY GROUP SEEKS ANSWERS ABOUT LIVERMORE ANTHRAX RELEASE

Tri-Valley CAREs Files Freedom of Information Requests,
Vows to Obtain Information Needed to Protect Public Health and Safety

LIVERMORE -- Tri-Valley CAREs, a group whose members live near the Lawrence
Livermore National Laboratory, today submitted Freedom of Information Act
(FOIA) requests to federal agencies seeking details about an anthrax
accident at the facility. The release of the potentially deadly agent
occurred in 2005, but the incident just became public following a $450,000
fine and a congressional oversight hearing.

 "In order to protect the community from future accidents, spills, leaks
and releases, we demand a complete accounting of what went wrong," said
Tri-Valley CAREs' Executive Director, Marylia Kelley, who lives across the
street from Livermore Lab.

The FOIA requests submitted today are particularly important because very
little is currently known about the multiple violations of safety and
security that resulted in the anthrax release -- and much of the available
information has come from Livermore Lab spokespeople with no independent
verification.

"Given that Livermore Lab first attempted to portray this major anthrax
release as a minor violation of inner containment vessel shipping
requirements, the additional information Tri-Valley CAREs seeks is vital to
gaining a true understanding of the accident itself and its subsequent
treatment by Livermore Lab officials and the governing agencies," explained
Tri-Valley CAREs' Staff Attorney, Robert Schwartz.

Kelley added, "We now know that two Livermore Lab anthrax shipments
violated numerous health and safety laws and involved 1,025 vials of
anthrax in one instance and 3,000 vials of anthrax in the other. We now
know that a person not authorized to handle biowarfare agents packaged the
anthrax shipments and was not supervised, both dangerous security
violations. And, we know that the DHHS has determined that anthrax was
released, and that employees who opened the shipment were put on Cipro due
to their potential exposures. Livermore Lab responded by saying that the
lower-level researcher resigned and that the Lab has instituted additional
training measures. Not a word has been said about the supervisor or the
systemic nature of the violations. We believe Livermore Lab's response is
not sufficient to protect the public from future mishaps. Serious questions
remain."

Moreover, Livermore Lab has proposed operating a Biosafety Level 3 (BSL-3).
This would permit researchers to aerosolize anthrax and experiment with
agents such as West Nile Virus, Q fever, plague and tularemia.

"I'm concerned that Livermore Lab is already dealing with such large
quantities of anthrax. Until the Lab demonstrates that it can safely
perform biological research, it seems particularly reckless to increase
experimentation with dangerous biowarfare agents by proceeding with the
operation of the proposed BSL-3," commented Schwartz.

Two FOIA requests have been submitted to the Department of Energy (which
owns Livermore Lab). And one FOIA request each has been submitted to the
Department of Health and Human Services (which levied the fine), the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (which conducted an
investigation), and the Department of Transportation (whose regulations
were also violated).

--30 --
Interviews and copies of the FOIA requests are available on request.

Marylia Kelley,
Executive Director

Tri-Valley CAREs
2582 Old First Street
Livermore, CA  94551

Ph: (925) 443-7148
Fx: (925) 443-0177
Web: www.trivalleycares.org
Email: marylia at trivalleycares.org or marylia at earthlink.net