Subcommittee Examines U.S. Laboratory Capacity to Effectively Respond to a Radiological Attack
Today, members of the House Committee on Science and Technology’s Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations heard testimony about the United States’ current environmental and clinical radiochemistry laboratory capacity to respond to a detonation of a Radiological Dispersal Device (RDD).
Rep. Brad Miller (D-NC), Chairman of the Subcommittee, led today’s hearing. Witnesses testified that the U.S. only has the capacity to test 6 of the 13 highest priority radioisotopes. They also noted that due to current shortfalls, screening 100,000 individuals for radiological exposure would take more than four years to complete. Environmental sampling could take as long as six years to complete given the current capacity and capabilities of the U.S. radiochemistry laboratory infrastructure.
"The federal government was better prepared for [Hurricane] Katrina than we are now for the detonation of a dirty bomb," said Chairman Miller.
The hearing also examined what steps are underway to address these critical needs, what technologies or resources would help tackle the capacity gap and what has been learned by the federal agencies responsible for addressing radiological emergencies.
"We’ve known for at least six years that Osama Bin Laden has tried to acquire materials for a dirty bomb. The material is out there, it could happen tomorrow, it could happen this afternoon. Potentially being prepared in five years, does not give me a reassuring sense," said Miller. "We need to feel a sense of urgency, and I hope your bosses, who make the decisions about what projects go forward, feel a sense of urgency."
The Subcommittee heard testimony from the following witnesses today:
- Dr. John Vitko: Director of the Chemical & Biological Security Division at the Department of Homeland Security testified for Dr. Randy Long, who chairs the Integrated Consortium of Laboratory Networks (ICLN) for the Department of Homeland Security;
- Dr. Robert L. Jones: Chief, Inorganic Toxicology and Radionuclide Labs, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). He is also the Co-Chair of the Integrated Consortium of Laboratory Networks Network Coordinating Group’s Radiological Laboratory Response Workgroup and headed up the CDC’s Polonium-210 response efforts last year;
- Dr. Robert T. "Robb" Hadley: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Department of Energy. Dr. Hadley is the current Chair of the Federal Radiological Monitoring and Assessment Center’s (FRMAC) Laboratory Analysis Working Group and was formerly the Chair of the FRMAC Health & Safety Working Group;
- Dr. John Griggs: Chief, Monitoring and Analytical Services Branch, Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Radiation and Indoor Air, National Air and Radiation Environmental; and
- Ms. Dana Tulis: Deputy Director, Office of Emergency Management, Environmental Protection Agency.
For more information on the hearing and copies of witness testimony, please visit the Committee’s website. Read the full staff report here.
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