P4 Virus Safety Laboratory
The Nobel Prize of Innocence
January 28, 2006
Reader reaction, February 8, 2006
"Innocence" was not the appropriate word. But let us say that the man behind all this is powerful enough to effectively use defamation. After reading these lines, the reader will have modified this euphemism according to their personal feelings.
Take a look at this image:
Location: 21 avenue Tony Garnier, 69007 Lyon. A high-security laboratory adapted for research on this type of microorganism. The P4 laboratory is now operated by INSERM, which is the medical branch of the CNRS.
Source: http://www.cervi-lyon.inserm.fr/Presentation/Presentation2.htm
An "LRAC" (Anti-Tank Rocket Launcher), handled by an amateur, a wanker, a beginner, can cause significant damage to a structure of this kind, which is not built to bunker specifications. A model dating from the Algerian War would suffice. They are easy to obtain.
They can be found for one thousand euros, all included. Maximum effectiveness at 300 meters with a maximum range of 900 m. Capable of piercing 320 mm thick steel armor.
What is a P4 laboratory?
Go and inform yourself. Those who set up this unit are not hiding anything. Read. Also activate the link at the bottom of the page:
http://www.cervi-lyon.inserm.fr
You will find the major precautions taken to prevent the strains held in these premises, which are the most virulent in the world, such as the Ebola hemorrhagic fever strain, from spreading into the city. Precautions to ensure the safety of researchers working in this center and to ensure the environment does not suffer. But I saw nothing else. Perhaps I misread. Idiots will say "that I am giving ideas to terrorists."
Thus, if a fire broke out in the building, a special gas, FM 200, would invade the premises, displacing the oxygen and smothering the fire.
Look at the image above. There are about fifteen good spots where a shooter could position themselves to hit this building, which lacks any protection other than that provided for fire and... leaks from pressurized suits.
Do you remember the film "Outbreak" with Dustin Hoffman? Everything is planned, read it. Researchers always have a roll of duct tape within reach to repair their suits in case of a tear.
I understand that it is important to have such a laboratory to study these strains, to study them in all their dangerousness, and to be able to better combat them. But I would have put the lab away, in the Landes, underground, with a serious security system all around. The press is totally silent on this subject, which does not interest our politicians either.
But I see evil everywhere, as is well known
An article extracted from the Nouvel Observateur archives
LYON: Controversy at the Mérieux P4 lab
The director of the P4 laboratory in Lyon (study of the most dangerous viruses) has been dismissed.
She accuses her successor, from Pasteur, of being incompetent.
The Mérieux Foundation has suspended the director of the high-security P4 laboratory in Lyon and initiated dismissal proceedings for gross misconduct. The foundation reproaches Susan Fischer-Hoch, an American scientist of international renown, with the "destabilizing effect" of her behavior. At a press conference on Tuesday, Susan Fischer-Hoch, accompanied by her lawyer, Mr. Thomas Halpern, deemed her dismissal "abusive."
The American researcher, who signed a five-year contract in 1997, formally denies any fault and rather evokes the rapprochement between the Mérieux Foundation and the Pasteur Institute for the operation of this laboratory specialized in the study of the most dangerous viruses. "It is a power problem," she said.
The Secretary General of the Mérieux Foundation, Claude Lardy, who does not wish to make the reasons for the dismissal public, states for her part that "the creation of the Mérieux-Pasteur center had changed the situation and that teams from Pasteur must indeed come to work on the P4."
The management of the P4 should go to Vincent Deubel, currently head of hemorrhagic fever research at the Pasteur Institute. Susan Fischer-Hoch says she is "worried" about the future operation of the P4:
"I don't see how the laboratory can function with inexperienced people."
This high-security laboratory built by the Mérieux Foundation and inaugurated in 1999 by Jacques Chirac is the fourth of its kind in the world and the first in France.
It is intended for the study, under extreme safety conditions, of viruses such as Ebola, Lassa fever, or AIDS.
The commissioning of the laboratory and the arrival of the viruses, planned for the beginning of 2000, were delayed by several months following intervention by the Rhône Prefecture.
Following several technical failures,
the Prefecture established a committee of independent experts and asked the Mérieux Foundation to make adjustments to ensure maximum safety.
The Prefect of the Rhône finally gave his "green light" for the opening of the P4 at the end of June. According to the Mérieux Foundation, the arrival of the viruses and the commissioning of the laboratory should take place at the beginning of autumn.
An article extracted from the Nouvel Observateur archives
:
LYON: Controversy at the Mérieux P4 lab
The director of the P4 laboratory in Lyon (study of the most dangerous viruses) has been dismissed.
She accuses her successor, from Pasteur, of being incompetent.
The Mérieux Foundation has suspended the director of the high-security P4 laboratory in Lyon and initiated dismissal proceedings for gross misconduct. The foundation reproaches Susan Fischer-Hoch, an American scientist of international renown, with the "destabilizing effect" of her behavior. At a press conference on Tuesday, Susan Fischer-Hoch, accompanied by her lawyer, Mr. Thomas Halpern, deemed her dismissal "abusive."
The American researcher, who signed a five-year contract in 1997, formally denies any fault and rather evokes the rapprochement between the Mérieux Foundation and the Pasteur Institute for the operation of this laboratory specialized in the study of the most dangerous viruses. "It is a power problem," she said.
The Secretary General of the Mérieux Foundation, Claude Lardy, who does not wish to make the reasons for the dismissal public, states for her part that "the creation of the Mérieux-Pasteur center had changed the situation and that teams from Pasteur must indeed come to work on the P4."
The management of the P4 should go to Vincent Deubel, currently head of hemorrhagic fever research at the Pasteur Institute. Susan Fischer-Hoch says she is "worried" about the future operation of the P4:
"I don't see how the laboratory can function with inexperienced people."
This high-security laboratory built by the Mérieux Foundation and inaugurated in 1999 by Jacques Chirac is the fourth of its kind in the world and the first in France.
It is intended for the study, under extreme safety conditions, of viruses such as Ebola, Lassa fever, or AIDS.
The commissioning of the laboratory and the arrival of the viruses, planned for the beginning of 2000, were delayed by several months following intervention by the Rhône Prefecture.
Following several technical failures,
the Prefecture established a committee of independent experts and asked the Mérieux Foundation to make adjustments to ensure maximum safety.
The Prefect of the Rhône finally gave his "green light" for the opening of the P4 at the end of June. According to the Mérieux Foundation, the arrival of the viruses and the commissioning of the laboratory should take place at the beginning of autumn.
Submitted by Mr. Arn Bondsteed
P4 SECURITY
4 - HAVE YOU TAKEN PARTICULAR SECURITY MEASURES? WHICH ONES?
Yes, of course. Within the framework of the Vigipirate plan in particular, we have reinforced access controls on the campus.
5 - COULD THE PATHOGENS USED AT THE P4 BE STOLEN AND USED FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS?
That is precisely the purpose of the security measures: to prevent this kind of theft. If it were to happen, it must be recalled that the use of biological agents requires heavy means and poses numerous problems. Their diversion for terrorist purposes is not easy to implement.
One then wonders why Ebola-type epidemics, when they occur in Africa, pose such problems, if elementary prophylactic measures are sufficient to curb them.
6 - IF A PLANE CRASHED INTO THE P4, COULD THE VIRUSES DISSEMINATE IN NATURE?
It must first be recalled that the P4 does not store large quantities of pathogens. All viruses are fragile and would be destroyed by an explosion or fire.
If viral particles were released, they would quickly lose their infectivity, and for respiratory viruses, their quantity would not be sufficient to infect the population, even the neighborhood.
And bacteria? The same as for viruses, with a slight nuance concerning certain bacteria (spore-forming bacteria: cf. anthrax).
7 - IF THE P4 WERE THE TARGET OF A TERRORIST ATTACK, WHAT WOULD BE THE IMPACT ON THE POPULATION?
The P4 is a diagnostic and research laboratory for the treatment and prevention of hemorrhagic fevers. This work requires the manipulation and preservation
of only a small quantity of viruses
. When not stored at low temperatures, viruses quickly lose their infectious power. A fire or explosion following a terrorist attack would destroy these viruses.
If, however, these viruses were not destroyed by heat, the risk of airborne transmission would be virtually zero, and the quantity of viral particles released would be insufficient to infect the surrounding population. Viruses are quickly inactivated by simple chemical means (detergents, bleach…).
How is it that when an Ebola-type viral infection occurs in Africa, they don't simply use .. bleach?
8 - BUT DO THESE PATHOGENIC VIRUSES NOT PRESENT, EVEN IN NORMAL TIMES, A RISK FOR NEIGHBORS?
No, because the quantities used are very small and because the viruses are very sensitive and would not easily survive outside the laboratory.
Furthermore, the laboratory is equipped with very efficient filtration equipment. The premises are maintained under negative pressure by a fresh air system, with absolute filtration of incoming and extracted air.
So, why such protective measures???
THE VIRUSES
9 - WHAT WOULD BE REQUIRED FOR THE PREPARATION OF VIRUSES FOR A TERRORIST ACTION?
Viruses are prepared on animals or on cells requiring very strict culture conditions and high technology. The production of large quantities of viruses and their concentration are dangerous methods for handlers and require highly qualified personnel and sterile fermentation zones. Their packaging and transport require very low temperatures, which makes their use for large-scale criminal purposes difficult.
Apparently, nature manages very well to disseminate these viruses itself, without high technology.
10 - CAN TERRORISTS USE VIRUSES TO CONTAMINATE THE AIR OR WATER?
Generally speaking, viruses,
except respiratory viruses
(for example, the flu virus) cannot be transmitted through the air. For respiratory viruses, transmission can only occur over short distances; it requires a physical support (mucus droplets, dust…) and a sufficient concentration of the pathogen. Enveloped viruses (flu viruses, HIV) are sensitive to ultraviolet rays (sunlight), temperature, dryness, or excessive humidity.
Viruses are not transmitted through water, except for viruses responsible for diarrhea (poliovirus, rotavirus, calicivirus) and hepatitis A or E viruses. But this transmission can only occur with untreated water for consumption (rivers, lakes). Other viruses, and notably those with an envelope, do not persist long in water.
The flu, as everyone knows, is only transmitted over short distances. But an aerosolizable virus like the flu viruses travels very well with fogs. This passage is a bit ... nonsense.
11 - CAN HEMORRHAGIC FEVER VIRUSES BE USED AS A BIOLOGICAL WEAPON?
Some viruses are more pathogenic than others: the deadliest are the yellow fever and Ebola fever viruses. The former requires a mosquito to be transmitted, and the latter is generally only transmitted by direct contact. Other hemorrhagic fever viruses are transmitted either by a biting insect (mosquito, tick) or by contact with infected hosts (rodents or patients) or their biological fluids.
It is relatively easy to protect oneself from them with standard hygiene measures.
Where is the problem? .....
Submitted by Mr. Arn Bondsteed
P4 SECURITY
4 - HAVE YOU TAKEN PARTICULAR SECURITY MEASURES? WHICH ONES?
Yes, of course. Within the framework of the Vigipirate plan in particular, we have reinforced access controls on the campus.
5 - COULD THE PATHOGENS USED AT THE P4 BE STOLEN AND USED FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS?
That is precisely the purpose of the security measures: to prevent this kind of theft. If it were to happen, it must be recalled that the use of biological agents requires heavy means and poses numerous problems. Their diversion for terrorist purposes is not easy to implement.
One then wonders why Ebola-type epidemics, when they occur in Africa, pose such problems, if elementary prophylactic measures are sufficient to curb them.
6 - IF A PLANE CRASHED INTO THE P4, COULD THE VIRUSES DISSEMINATE IN NATURE?
It must first be recalled that the P4 does not store large quantities of pathogens. All viruses are fragile and would be destroyed by an explosion or fire.
If viral particles were released, they would quickly lose their infectivity, and for respiratory viruses, their quantity would not be sufficient to infect the population, even the neighborhood.
And bacteria? The same as for viruses, with a slight nuance concerning certain bacteria (spore-forming bacteria: cf. anthrax).
7 - IF THE P4 WERE THE TARGET OF A TERRORIST ATTACK, WHAT WOULD BE THE IMPACT ON THE POPULATION?
The P4 is a diagnostic and research laboratory for the treatment and prevention of hemorrhagic fevers. This work requires the manipulation and preservation
of only a small quantity of viruses
. When not stored at low temperatures, viruses quickly lose their infectious power. A fire or explosion following a terrorist attack would destroy these viruses.
If, however, these viruses were not destroyed by heat, the risk of airborne transmission would be virtually zero, and the quantity of viral particles released would be insufficient to infect the surrounding population. Viruses are quickly inactivated by simple chemical means (detergents, bleach…).
How is it that when an Ebola-type viral infection occurs in Africa, they don't simply use .. bleach?
.
8 - BUT DO THESE PATHOGENIC VIRUSES NOT PRESENT, EVEN IN NORMAL TIMES, A RISK FOR NEIGHBORS?
No, because the quantities used are very small and because the viruses are very sensitive and would not easily survive outside the laboratory.
Furthermore, the laboratory is equipped with very efficient filtration equipment. The premises are maintained under negative pressure by a fresh air system, with absolute filtration of incoming and extracted air.
So, why such protective measures???
THE VIRUSES
9 - WHAT WOULD BE REQUIRED FOR THE PREPARATION OF VIRUSES FOR A TERRORIST ACTION?
Viruses are prepared on animals or on cells requiring very strict culture conditions and high technology. The production of large quantities of viruses and their concentration are dangerous methods for handlers and require highly qualified personnel and sterile fermentation zones. Their packaging and transport require very low temperatures, which makes their use for large-scale criminal purposes difficult.
Apparently, nature manages very well to disseminate these viruses itself, without high technology.
10 - CAN TERRORISTS USE VIRUSES TO CONTAMINATE THE AIR OR WATER?
Generally speaking, viruses,
except respiratory viruses
(for example, the flu virus) cannot be transmitted through the air. For respiratory viruses, transmission can only occur over short distances; it requires a physical support (mucus droplets, dust…) and a sufficient concentration of the pathogen. Enveloped viruses (flu viruses, HIV) are sensitive to ultraviolet rays (sunlight), temperature, dryness, or excessive humidity.
Viruses are not transmitted through water, except for viruses responsible for diarrhea (poliovirus, rotavirus, calicivirus) and hepatitis A or E viruses. But this transmission can only occur with untreated water for consumption (rivers, lakes). Other viruses, and notably those with an envelope, do not persist long in water.
The flu, as everyone knows, is only transmitted over short distances. But an aerosolizable virus like the flu viruses travels very well with fogs. This passage is a bit ... nonsense.
11 - CAN HEMORRHAGIC FEVER VIRUSES BE USED AS A BIOLOGICAL WEAPON?
Some viruses are more pathogenic than others: the deadliest are the yellow fever and Ebola fever viruses. The former requires a mosquito to be transmitted, and the latter is generally only transmitted by direct contact. Other hemorrhagic fever viruses are transmitted either by a biting insect (mosquito, tick) or by contact with infected hosts (rodents or patients) or their biological fluids.
It is relatively easy to protect oneself from them with standard hygiene measures.
Where is the problem? .....
In summary, the location of this laboratory in the heart of a city of several million inhabitants is perfectly justified.
If you are passing by:
Regarding vulnerability, see the satellite image below.
The presentation text specifies that in case of a Vigipirate alert, access to the Campus would be monitored. In which case, the simplest thing is to take a rocket launcher, or even a missile launcher, in a vehicle and fire it quietly from the highway next to which the laboratory is installed. Given the lack of reaction from the people of Lyon since the installation of this virological and bacteriological bomb in the heart of their city, one can conclude that their dominant character trait must be placidity.
February 8, 2006. Reader reaction.
Dear Mr. Petit,
I wished to react to your article on the P4, in which you take a small jab at the placidity of the people of Lyon regarding the risks associated with this laboratory.
You should know that many people in Lyon protested as soon as they learned that a P4-type lab was going to be implanted in the heart of Lyon. It seems to me that all other P4 labs are in the middle of the desert and therefore quite far from populations. This detail did not escape the people of Lyon. This laboratory is primarily the work of Mr. Mérieux, a great friend of President Chirac, who used all his weight for Lyon to get the lab, against the wishes of the people of Lyon (numerous polls in Lyon daily newspapers showed their concern regarding this project).
At the time, I was a second-year Law student (at Lyon 3 University) and I remember that a lady in a white coat came to our lecture hall to present the P4 and its security system. I won't go into the details of air and water recycling, etc... but I remember that this lady told us that the P4 was totally earthquake-resistant. All this to tell you that representatives from the P4 came to our faculty to explain to us that there was no danger. A bit stupid and naive, I admit that we all believed it a little.
Time passes, and while my brother and I were at the mechanic's, we were talking with the former head of security at the P4 who had just resigned. We let him talk and we learned that the P4 building is not earthquake-resistant; only the "mushroom" containing the viruses is. This man also tells us that experiments are conducted on animals in the P4, and that is his greatest fear. The fact that air and water can be filtered is not very technical in itself; the real risk for him was that one of the animals or a parasite might escape. I am giving you verifiable information: during the first 6 months of the P4's commissioning, a lunatic was able to cross 2 security thresholds armed with only a knife. I leave you to imagine what a suicide commando could achieve.
That's the anecdote. I think we were manipulated by the media regarding the real risks of the Lyon P4.
I have told this story to many people, but I was always taken for a fool. I am therefore very happy to have read this article where you denounce the lies and risks surrounding the P4.
That is the whole point of your site: to allow the greatest number of people to be informed. I respect you greatly for that.
Sincerely, Lionel
Dear Mr. Petit,
I wished to react to your article on the P4, in which you take a small jab at the placidity of the people of Lyon regarding the risks associated with this laboratory.
You should know that many people in Lyon protested as soon as they learned that a P4-type lab was going to be implanted in the heart of Lyon. It seems to me that all other P4 labs are in the middle of the desert and therefore quite far from populations. This detail did not escape the people of Lyon. This laboratory is primarily the work of Mr. Mérieux, a great friend of President Chirac, who used all his weight for Lyon to get the lab, against the wishes of the people of Lyon (numerous polls in Lyon daily newspapers showed their concern regarding this project).
At the time, I was a second-year Law student (at Lyon 3 University) and I remember that a lady in a white coat came to our lecture hall to present the P4 and its security system. I won't go into the details of air and water recycling, etc... but I remember that this lady told us that the P4 was totally earthquake-resistant. All this to tell you that representatives from the P4 came to our faculty to explain to us that there was no danger. A bit stupid and naive, I admit that we all believed it a little.
Time passes, and while my brother and I were at the mechanic's, we were talking with the former head of security at the P4 who had just resigned. We let him talk and we learned that the P4 building is not earthquake-resistant; only the "mushroom" containing the viruses is. This man also tells us that experiments are conducted on animals in the P4, and that is his greatest fear. The fact that air and water can be filtered is not very technical in itself; the real risk for him was that one of the animals or a parasite might escape. I am giving you verifiable information: during the first 6 months of the P4's commissioning, a lunatic was able to cross 2 security thresholds armed with only a knife. I leave you to imagine what a suicide commando could achieve.
That's the anecdote. I think we were manipulated by the media regarding the real risks of the Lyon P4.
I have told this story to many people, but I was always taken for a fool. I am therefore very happy to have read this article where you denounce the lies and risks surrounding the P4.
That is the whole point of your site: to allow the greatest number of people to be informed. I respect you greatly for that.
Sincerely, Lionel
I started reading Nicolas Hulot's book "The Titanic Syndrome," which begins with a vibrant praise of Jacques Chirac as an ardent defender of the environment.
On the outside, in words, perhaps. Within the Hexagon, it's a different story.
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