Your hypothetical starts with the assumption that no reporting of accidents by private labs exists. It is not clear that is true.
The intercept article writes “Unless they work with the most dangerous pathogens, biolabs don’t have to register with the U.S. government. As a result, there is little visibility into the biosafety of experiments carried out by private companies or foundations.”
Here “most dangerous pathogens” leaves out illnesses like the measles virus that still can do a lot of damage to human, especially when modified.
This claim might be true or false. I do believe that the people at the intercept tried to get their hands on all the reports they could find and that there was a lack of access to those from private companies or foundations.
Do you think that private companies or foundations do those reports and if so, where do you think they are filled and why can’t the people from the Intercept access them?
That is not a problem with reporting requirements (regardless of to which authority) but failing to follow reporting requirements. More regulation does not solve that problem.
The problem of following reporting requirements is one of the incentives. Currently, the NIH sets some incentives by expecting people who receive grants to follow the reporting requirements.
I do agree that currently, the NIH does not punish their grantees enough for failing their reporting requirements.
Ideally, I think there would also be criminal liability for biosafety officers who fail to report incidents. Creating criminal liability is something you can do with regulation.
The intercept article writes “Unless they work with the most dangerous pathogens, biolabs don’t have to register with the U.S. government. As a result, there is little visibility into the biosafety of experiments carried out by private companies or foundations.”
Here “most dangerous pathogens” leaves out illnesses like the measles virus that still can do a lot of damage to human, especially when modified.
This claim might be true or false. I do believe that the people at the intercept tried to get their hands on all the reports they could find and that there was a lack of access to those from private companies or foundations.
Do you think that private companies or foundations do those reports and if so, where do you think they are filled and why can’t the people from the Intercept access them?
The problem of following reporting requirements is one of the incentives. Currently, the NIH sets some incentives by expecting people who receive grants to follow the reporting requirements.
I do agree that currently, the NIH does not punish their grantees enough for failing their reporting requirements.
Ideally, I think there would also be criminal liability for biosafety officers who fail to report incidents. Creating criminal liability is something you can do with regulation.