Homeland Security Leader

From Military.com

WASHINGTON - Military leaders have suspended some activities at biological research laboratories to review safety rules for some of the world’s deadliest germs and toxins, including how they are shipped through FedEx and other civilian carriers.

Defense officials said the action is part of a larger review ordered when a researcher at an Army lab committed suicide last month after being told he would be charged in the 2001 anthrax attacks that killed five people.

Navy and Air Force officials told The Associated Press on Thursday that they are temporarily halting shipments of dangerous biological agents to and from their medical and research labs.

They also said that during the review, they won’t allow any employees to handle such materials inside their labs unless the employee is enrolled in a special program to do so - or monitored by someone who is enrolled.

The Army also said for the first time Thursday that it had halted it shipments from Aug. 8-14 for a similar review of procedures - and then tightened some.

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