Next Steps: Biosafety and Biosecurity at the National Institutes of Health (NIH)

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) initiated a review of its biosafety and biosecurity protocols in July 2014. This review included a comprehensive search of laboratory and associated spaces to identify Biological Select Agents and Toxins, ensure their proper registration, safe stewardship, and secure storage or disposal. The review was completed on September 30, 2014, and identified five vials of biological select agents and toxins that were stored safely but not in appropriately registered space. All holdings of potentially hazardous biological materials found during the sweep were entered into a central database, and each finding was reported to the Division of Select Agents and Toxins at the CDC.