Fort Detrick

Fort Detrick, located in Frederick, Maryland, is a unique nexus of scientific exploration and military purpose, a hallmark of the United States Army Medical Command. Founded during World War II as a hub for biological warfare research, Fort Detrick has since evolved into a center for biomedical research, housing numerous significant institutions and laboratories.

The expansive grounds of Fort Detrick are home to organizations like the United States Army Medical Research and Development Command (USAMRDC) and the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID). Each of these institutions plays a distinct role in the broader context of American scientific and health research.

USAMRDC, responsible for the Army’s medical material development, researches medical solutions for the battlefield. It serves as a research and development powerhouse, pursuing advancements in areas like medical countermeasure systems, medical simulation and information sciences, and military infectious diseases, among others.

Meanwhile, USAMRIID’s mission is more specialized, focusing primarily on defending against biothreats. This premier institution for infectious disease research in the Department of Defense plays a crucial role in national defense and infectious disease research, given its dual mandate of protecting the military from biological threats and investigating disease outbreaks and potential pandemics.

Fort Detrick’s laboratories operate under rigorous safety and ethical standards, subject to federal law and international treaties to prevent the misuse of biological agents. Despite its controversial origins in biological warfare, today’s Fort Detrick is an indispensable part of America’s scientific infrastructure, facilitating critical research in the service of public health and national defense.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, USAMRIID has been involved in the development of vaccines and treatments for Ebola and Marburg viruses, showing its commitment to addressing emerging infectious diseases threats (source: CDC).

The National Cancer Institute’s Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, another resident of Fort Detrick, is the only federally funded research and development center dedicated solely to biomedical research (source: National Cancer Institute).

The Global Emerging Infections Surveillance (GEIS) branch of the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Division is also housed at Fort Detrick. GEIS was instrumental in identifying and monitoring the spread of Zika virus in 2016 (source: Defense Health Agency).

The book “Lab 257: The Disturbing Story of the Government’s Secret Plum Island Germ Laboratory” by Michael Carroll acknowledges Fort Detrick as a central player in America’s biodefense research.

Fort Detrick houses several high-tech laboratories that deal with various biosafety levels (BSLs). These labs are designed to contain different kinds of biological agents safely, with each BSL corresponding to a different degree of containment needed to safely work with specific agents.

BSL-1: This is the lowest level of containment and is typically where work with well-characterized agents that do not typically cause disease in healthy humans is conducted. BSL-1 labs are not typically isolated from the general building and have standard laboratory design. Personal protective equipment (PPE) may include lab coats and gloves.

BSL-2: This level is for agents that pose moderate hazards to personnel and the environment. It differs from BSL-1 in that laboratory personnel have specific training in handling pathogenic agents and are directed by scientists competent in dealing with infectious agents and associated procedures. PPE includes lab coats, gloves, and face and eye protection as necessary. Access to the lab is restricted when work is being conducted.

BSL-3: This level is applicable to clinical, diagnostic, teaching, research, or production facilities where work is performed with indigenous or exotic agents that may cause serious or potentially lethal disease through inhalation. Laboratory personnel are provided medical surveillance and may receive immunizations for the agents handled or potentially present in the laboratory. The lab has special engineering and design features, such as a double-door entry and sealed windows. All work with the agents must be performed within a biological safety cabinet or with other physical containment devices.

BSL-4: This is the highest level of biological safety. BSL-4 labs are required for work with dangerous and exotic agents that pose a high individual risk of life-threatening disease, which may be transmitted via the aerosol route and for which there is no available vaccine or therapy. In addition to the features of BSL-3, these labs have a series of additional safety measures, including change rooms, shower exits, and airlock entries. All work is performed in a Class III biological safety cabinet or by wearing a full-body, air-supplied positive pressure suit.

In the context of Fort Detrick, laboratories operating at different BSLs might be working on a variety of research topics, from developing treatments for diseases that affect the military (like malaria or leishmaniasis at BSL-2 or BSL-3) to studying highly pathogenic viruses like Ebola or Marburg in BSL-4 laboratories. For instance, the USAMRIID at Fort Detrick is one of the few labs in the U.S. that has BSL-4 facilities.

Remember, these safety levels exist to protect researchers and the environment from potentially harmful exposure to biological agents. Each increase in level corresponds to a higher degree of precaution due to the increased risk associated with the biological agents being studied.

If alien biological material were discovered, a facility like Fort Detrick, particularly the USAMRIID, could be well-equipped to study it. This is due to the facility’s extensive experience and capabilities in studying various forms of biological matter, including those that are potentially dangerous or unknown.

The high biosafety level (BSL) laboratories at USAMRIID, including BSL-4 labs, are designed to handle and study highly infectious and dangerous biological materials. If an extraterrestrial organism were discovered, scientists would need to treat it with the utmost caution given the high degree of uncertainty surrounding its properties, potential risks, and whether it could pose any biological threat to Earth life forms.

High-containment laboratories like those at USAMRIID are designed to prevent the escape of potentially harmful organisms into the environment, protecting both the researchers and the public. The sophisticated protective and containment measures in place at these facilities would be vital in such a situation.

Fort Detrick stands as a testament to the marriage of scientific inquiry and military readiness. With its extensive biomedical research and development initiatives, the institutions housed within Fort Detrick will continue to play an instrumental role in global health, biodefense, and military medicine in the years to come.