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Unlicensed California lab housing pathogens tied to China firms, US House panel concludes after subpoena
- Committee acquires documents, photos and video in inquiry involving site where at least 20 potentially infectious agents were said to be detected
- ‘Deeply disturbing that a Chinese company set up a clandestine facility in small-town America,’ panel chair says
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Bochen Hanin Washington
A US House select committee on China’s Communist Party has concluded that firms that ran an unlicensed laboratory in central California are linked to Chinese companies.
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The development came after the panel last week issued its first subpoena as part of its ongoing inquiry into the medical warehouse. In March, local and federal officials began a months-long investigation into the facility housing lab mice, medical waste and hazardous materials in the city of Reedley in Fresno county.
At least 20 potentially infectious agents, including coronavirus, HIV, hepatitis and herpes, were detected on site, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
All the biological agents were destroyed by early July following a legal abatement process by the county’s public health department. As of August 9, clean-up efforts were continuing.
The “friendly subpoena” issued last week to Reedley resulted in the select committee acquiring “thousands of pages of documents, hundreds of photographs, and hours of video”.
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