LV lab preparing to handle bioterrorism agents

Jace Radke

Wednesday, May 12, 2004 | 9:25 a.m.

Work continues on special negative pressure rooms designed to contain dangerous substances, but the Southern Nevada Public Health Laboratory is already staffed and partially operational in central Las Vegas.

The $2.3 million complex, designed to be a "biosafety level three" lab on par with the state health lab in Reno, is at a confidential location near the Charleston Boulevard interchange on Interstate 15.

County health officials won't identify the lab's exact spot, citing security concerns.

The lab is being constructed to help identify dangerous diseases and bioterrorism agents that in the past have had to be shipped to Reno for confirmation.

"We're operating as a sentinal lab level right now, meaning we can rule out different dangerous substances when we test a sample brought in," lab director Pat Armour said. "If we get something and we think it is a dangerous substance, we still have to send it to Reno for verification."

The extra step involving Reno will be eliminated as soon as the Las Vegas lab gets its biosafety level three license.

The lab was originally scheduled to open in the fourth quarter of 2003, but construction delays pushed back the opening. Clark County health officials wouldn't predict when the lab will be fully operational.

Work is continuing on computer-controlled air flow for the lab's negative pressure rooms. Many hospitals in Clark County already have negative pressure rooms, Armour said.

Once the lab is completed, officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will inspect it and license it as a biosafety level three lab, Armour said.

"The Centers for Disease Control is in contact with us every week, and they understand the need for this lab in Southern Nevada," Armour said.

The Las Vegas area has been recognized by Homeland Security officials as a possible terrorist target because of its large tourist population, concentrations of tens of thousands of people in relatively small areas, world-famous resorts and critical nearby infrastructure such as Hoover Dam.

And there are nonterrorism reasons the lab is needed in Las Vegas as well. When a valley man committed suicide with a homemade concoction of ricin last year, the samples of the extremely poisonous powder had to be driven up to Reno so that the lab there could confirm what the substance was.

If anyone else in the valley cooks up ricin from castor-oil plants, the Las Vegas lab has 10 employees, including two microbiologists, at the ready. The lab has an operating budget of $1.2 million budget for 2004.

The lab and its staff also will train first responders in how to handle and collect samples. Seventy-two firefighters with the Clark County and Las Vegas Fire Departments have already gone through the training.

First responders are taught to enclose samples in three layers of plastic bags, after swabbing each bag with bleach.

The lab hopes to continue training and expects to become a valuable resource for the area's police and fire departments, Armour said.

"We're just trying to get the word out that we're here for the community," Armour said.