WASHINGTON — An outbreak of one of the most contagious animal diseases would be more devastating to the U.S. economy from any of five locations the White House is considering for a high-security research laboratory than it would be from the isolated island laboratory where such research is now conducted, says a report published Friday.
The 1,005-page Homeland Security Department study said chances of such an outbreak — with estimated losses of more than $4.2 billion — would be “extremely low” if the research lab were designed, constructed and operated according to government safety standards.
Still, it calculated that economic losses in an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease could surpass $4 billion if the lab were built near livestock herds in Kansas or Texas, two options the Bush administration is considering. That would be nearly $1 billion higher than the government’s estimate of losses from a hypothetical outbreak near its existing laboratory on Plum Island, N.Y.
The administration is studying the safest place to move its research on such dangerous pathogens from Plum Island to the U.S. mainland near herds of livestock, raising concerns about a catastrophic outbreak.
A final choice is expected by late fall. The foot-and-mouth virus does not infect humans but could devastate herds of cattle, swine, lambs and sheep.
Economic losses in an outbreak would exceed $3.3 billion if the new lab were built in Georgia, North Carolina or Mississippi, the report said.
Potential lab sites
The five sites the U.S. is considering for a animal- diseases research laboratory are:
•Athens, Ga.
•Manhattan, Kan.
•Butner, N.C.
•San Antonio
•Flora, Miss.
•A sixth alternative would be construction of a new research lab on Plum Island, N.Y.
