Posted on: Friday, December 7, 2001

UH cattle disease researcher to undergo security check

By Beverly Creamer
Advertiser Education Writer

University of Hawai'i microbiology professor James Douglas has been told by UH biosafety officials to expect a "background check" as universities across the country begin to interpret the new U.S. Patriotic Act that tightens controls on those who work with potentially dangerous "select agents."

Douglas appears to be the only Hawai'i university-based researcher with a federal permit to study biological agents that could be considered a potential human threat.

While there has been some confusion about whether the anti-terrorism legislation signed into law by President Bush on Oct. 26 actually does require criminal background checks of researchers handling agents with bioterrorism potential, UH officials are interpreting it as a new requirement to fulfill.

"We're awaiting the Centers for Disease Control and the Department of Justice to come down with specifics (for implementing the new law)," said Hubert Olipares, biosafety officer for the Environmental Health and Safety Office at UH. Douglas works with a weakened version of a disease that is found in cattle, but controlled with vaccination.

Since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and because of the anthrax threat, heightened security around those who work with potentially dangerous biological agents has has gained priority in Congress and the Bush administration. Congress is debating adding even more federal oversight of researchers.

While legitimate researchers have nothing to fear, some, including Douglas, think the new effort is misguided.

"It's silly because there are so many people who could do bioterrorism," said Douglas. "It's not the researchers. Anybody who has ever taken a degree in microbiology could do it. And anyone else in biological sciences. Hundreds of thousands of people could figure this out."

Douglas said bioterrorism has been studied since the 1920s. "It's not a new issue, so the ability to identify and grow organisms is widespread."

Olipares said officials will also be looking into the citizenship of those who work in Douglas' laboratory.

"As we read it, there are seven countries, and if you have an alien working in the laboratory (from one of these seven countries) then you have to do background checks."

Countries named in the new federal legislation include Iraq, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Syria, Cuba and North Korea.

Background checking will include a review of illegal drug use; military service discharge status; mental stability as defined by commitment to an institution for the mentally ill or adjudication of "mentally defective"; and citizenship status.

"The law has been passed, but they didn't give us speci-

fics in how to work with the law," said Olipares. "We don't know who at the university needs to do the background checks — our office or someone in the personnel department."

UH scientists carry the major load of research projects within the academic community. At Chaminade, no research would fall into the area covered by the new law, said spokesman Peter Wolf, so there is no need for background checks on personnel.

The same is true at both Hawai'i Pacific University and Brigham Young University.

"We maintain cultures for undergrad teaching labs, but nothing that's potentially dangerous," said Pat Allen, science labs director at HPU. As well, HPU doesn't offer graduate programs in the sciences, which is where more advanced research would take place.

At BYU virologist Douglas Oba has received state permits to import certain organisms, but no federal permits. He does independent research on herpes simplex viruses, and teaches microbiology. "We don't work with any of the agents that require Center for Disease Control approval," said Oba. But he made the point that state regulations about what can come into Hawai'i have been tougher than federal in the past, although there are recent changes.

"It's hard to get even some of the common things, like E. coli or other skin bacteria," he said. "It took me a year and three months to get the first set of permits for organisms that are general such as E. coli which we all have in our intestines."

Researchers repeatedly make the point that the agents they work with are generally far less dangerous than perceived. Douglas, for instance, is hoping to get a harmless strain of anthrax by the spring semester to train students in how to analyze it quickly. "We're the ones who teach the medical technologists," he said.

From the 1940s to the 1960s Hawai'i cattle were vaccinated against anthrax with a weakened version of the strain, and Douglas hopes to be able to get it through a local veterinarian. Generally researchers work with a version of the germ that has been dramatically weakened, (the type often used in vaccines) or a portion of the organism that includes its DNA.

"All the organisms we work with are present in Hawai'i already and are common to infectious diseases that people bring into the hospital," said Douglas. "So we train people how to identify those organisms."

Olipares said that because of the uncertainty about following up on background checks, it's likely the process won't be complete at the university until spring or summer.

Beverly Creamer can be reached at bcreamer@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8013.