Plan to close FDA labs worries health group

A team is deciding how the consolidation will occur.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- As many as seven of the federal laboratories that help safeguard the nation's food and drugs could close, an environmental and public health group said Thursday.
A proposed Food and Drug Administration plan to consolidate its network of labs could leave half of them shuttered, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility said. The labs test food, cosmetics, drugs and other medical products for safety, purity, effectiveness and to ensure they are properly labeled. They also help investigate public health threats such as the recent outbreaks of E. coli in spinach and lettuce.
The group believes the closures could slow the response to a bioterrorism attack or outbreak of foodborne illness.
"There is no reason why these decisions have to be made in a black box," said Jeff Ruch, the group's executive director.
The FDA is reviewing ways to prioritize and best match its resources with its operational responsibilities, said Julie Zawisza, an FDA spokeswoman. "We are committed to our mission of protecting and advancing the public health and continually explore ways to improve our field operations," she said.
About e-mail
In a Dec. 6 e-mail sent to staff of the FDA office that oversees the agency's field work, associate commissioner for regulatory affairs Margaret Glavin said a transformation leadership team would discuss in coming weeks which of the agency's labs would remain open. The consolidation would, in part, maximize efficiencies, Glavin wrote. She did not return messages left Thursday.
No laboratories were mentioned by name in Glavin's e-mail. The group listed as being considered for closure the facilities in Cincinnati, Denver, Detroit, Kansas City, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle.
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