2007 Congressional Hearing on Laboratory Readiness

Held in 2007, this hearing before the Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight, of the House Committee on Science and Technology, 110th Congress, entitled “Radiological Response: Assessing Environmental and Clinical Laboratory Capabilities”, presented environmental and laboratory concerns that are still relevant. The Subcommittee hearing reviewed steps to address the critical laboratory needs related to radiological response; what technologies and resources would help close gaps; and what federal agencies responsible for addressing these needs have learned from actual radiological emergencies, such as the Polonium-210 poisoning of former Russian KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko and the 1987 radiological release in Goiania, Brazil. It will also examined reasons for limited attention to improving laboratory capacities and what more needs to be done to improve the U.S. radiochemistry laboratory infrastructure.