A 2007 outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (an important virus affecting cattle) was traced to effluent released from a laboratory in the UK [1]. A small number

A 2007 outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (an important virus affecting cattle) was traced to effluent released from a laboratory in the UK [1]. A small number of SARS infections in 2003-2004 are also believed to have been due to laboratory accidents [2]. This article [3] gives an introduction to the subject from the perspective of a journalist who has reported on laboratory safety in the US. This article [4] published in Nature in January 2012 by members of the US National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity reviews the risk of a release of an engineered form of H5N1 influenza. It includes some alarming remarks such as: 'We found the potential risk of public harm to be of unusually high magnitude' and; 'A pandemic, or the deliberate release of a transmissible highly pathogenic influenza A/H5N1 virus, would be an unimaginable catastrophe for which the world is currently inadequately prepared' The authors take the possibility of release of a dangerous pathogen from a laboratory seriously, though the article is prospective rather than retrospective. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_United_Kingdom_foot-and-mouth_outbreak https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_United_Kingdom_foot-and-m... [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Severe_acute_respiratory_syndrome#Laboratory_accidents https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Severe_acute_respiratory_syndr... [3] https://eu.usatoday.com/in-depth/opinion/2021/03/22/why-covid-lab-leak-theory-wuhan-shouldnt-dismissed-column/4765985001/ https://eu.usatoday.com/in-depth/opinion/2021/03/22/why-covi... [4] https://www.nature.com/articles/482153a https://www.nature.com/articles/482153a