By Hank Russell
Seven people conducting research at the Plum Island Animal Disease Center were sent to the hospital.
On September 2, the researchers complained of eye irritation, according to various news reports, and were brought to a local hospital. Newsday reported that they were discharged later that day.
Long Island Life & Politics reached out to the Department of Homeland Security, whose Science and Technology Directorate’s Office of National Laboratories operates Plum Island.
“There was an incident at PIADC on September 2. During a routine operation, several staff members complained of eye irritation. Out of an abundance of caution, seven staff members were transported for medical evaluation,” a DHS spokesperson said in a statement.
Located in Orient Point, PIADC has provided a defense “against accidental or intentional introduction of transboundary animal diseases—highly transmissible diseases of livestock and other animals, including foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) and African swine fever (ASF),” according to the DHS website.
With over 400 employees, PIADC, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is the only laboratory in the nation that can work on FMD and ASF, the website says.