Comprehensive Report

Iraqi Retention of Smallpox Cultures (continued)
occasions and toured the facilities in late May and
early June 2003. The visit observed generally old,
poor condition, and sparse laboratory equipment. The
team inspected a room (room 179) marked “Graduate
Studies” which had locks on both doors. The
room contained a large autoclave. The room had
two large overhead fume hoods of the type used in
restaurants to fi lter the air within the room. There
was one small plastic class I safety cabinet, several
shaker incubators, a glove box, old bottles of culture
media. No freezers or liquid nitrogen containers were
identifi ed.During the course of its investigations, ISG
inspected the Al Kindi veterinary vaccine facility. This
facility was similar in function to the one Hazim ‘Ali
investigated in Irbil in autumn 1990 that produced
Newcastle and animal pox vaccines.
• ISG inspected the production buildings and
observed that the equipment appeared to be for the
expressed purpose of producing Newcastle virus
vaccine in chicken eggs; however, this dual-use
equipment was assessed to be easily diverted to produce
Variola (smallpox) or other pathogenic viruses
(see Figure 6).
• ISG also visited the building where animal pox vaccines
are produced in tissue culture. Their assessment
was that as with the Newcastle vaccine unit,
the equipment in this building could also be used to
produce large amounts of smallpox virus in tissue
culture although all equipment present is consistent
with the expressed purpose of making animal vaccines.
ISG learned of a television news report that was
broadcasted on Western television in mid-April 2003
that reported the CPHL had been looted of highly
infectious virus such as smallpox, polio and infl uenza.
ISG visited the latter and interviewed senior researchers
who described the incident. Several visits to the
CPHL and interviews with scientists and researchers
have not shed further light into the existence of smallpox
cultures being stored there. ISG did identify a
“secret lab” that was operated there, which had beem
vacated in December 2002. The nature of the research
in that laboratory was not determined.
Figure 6. 1,480-liter double-jacketed steel vessel
(left) and egg incubator (right).
Biological
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