Tuesday, November 20, 2007

feds 'lost track' of hundreds of viruses & microbes

feds 'lost track' of hundreds of viruses & microbesfrom honolulu advertiser: The state Department of Agriculture lost track of hundreds of viruses and microbes imported to Hawai'i for research purposes over a five-decade period because of a breakdown in the agency's paperwork system.

The bulk of the import applications were filed by University of Hawai'i researchers who failed to report on the inventory and location of viruses and other microbes imported under 356 state permits dating back nearly 50 years, the agriculture department said.