FDA plan to close field labs draws fire

[rodeodance]

Source: McClatchy Newspapers




FDA plan to close field labs draws fire
By Tony Pugh
McClatchy Newspapers

WASHINGTON - A Food and Drug Administration plan to close seven of 13 field laboratories has angered some lawmakers, government workers and safety advocates, who fear the move will chase away skilled veteran employees and hurt the FDA's ability to respond to public health emergencies.

The FDA's field labs inspect and analyze food, drugs, animal medications and feeds, medical devices and other health products.


....
The lack of transparency has made lawmakers bristle as well.

In a letter to FDA Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach, Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said the FDA apparently decided to mislead the committee in a Dec. 26 letter that claimed that the restructuring plan hadn't been finalized and that "therefore, there are no changes to (FDA's) current laboratory structure."

Dingell later learned the FDA had disclosed the plan in November to a union that represents affected workers. "The refusal of the FDA to provide Congress with accurate information in response to the request by a Committee Chairman is completely unacceptable," Dingell wrote.

Read more: http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/news/nation/17173852.htm

[coffeenap]

1. k and r

[Benhurst]

2. Recommended #2

[lovuian]

3. You have to be kidding this just lets Americans know

their food supply is open season

Welcome to mexico and China

I'm just waiting for Republicans to get their fair share of Poison trade

[FloridaJudy]

4. Yet another blow to public health and safety

Who needs terrorists? This administration is doing a dandy job of threatening Americans' lives.

Remember this the next time there's an outbreak of virulent e-coli, or your pets start croaking of contaminated food.

[rudy23]

5. Does anyone think the * admin's idea of making America stronger means killing off as many of us as

they can, and letting the "strong" survive?

I do.

[FloridaJudy]

6. Why should they care?

They get the best medical care in the world for free, and likely employ one of us serfs as food-tasters.

Barney probably has his own personal chef.

[Robbien]

7. Plan to shut FDA labs

Source: By TONY PUGH, McClatchy Newspapers

WASHINGTON -- A Food and Drug Administration plan to close seven of 13 field laboratories has angered some lawmakers, government workers and safety advocates, who fear the move will chase away skilled veteran employees and hurt the FDA's ability to respond to public health emergencies.

The labs

The field labs inspect and analyze food, drugs, animal medications and feeds, medical devices and other health products. The labs check for compliance with federal guidelines; protect consumers from unsafe, ineffective and mislabeled products; and help investigate public health threats such as product tampering, bio-terrorism, food-borne illnesses and contaminated blood supplies.

. . .

The plan

Over the next several years, the FDA wants to close labs in Philadelphia; Denver; Detroit; Alameda, Calif.; Lenexa, Kan.; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and Winchester, Mass. Those operations and an estimated 250 employees would then be moved to five multipurpose "mega-labs" that could handle all types of FDA testing.

. . .

Concerns

The FDA plan has faced skepticism in part because it was being implemented without input from Congress. Kolaitis said she now expects congressional hearings on the matter after more than 50 members of Congress asked the agency to halt the plan until it can be reviewed.

The plan was revealed in December by an agency employee who leaked an internal e-mail on the proposal to the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, a nonprofit advocacy and service organization.



Read more: http://www.star-telegram.com/238/story/90967.html

---

Just the normal BushCo mode of operating; doing something outrageous at the most outrageous moment.

[acmavm]

8. So, who will we rely on to tell us when the Chinese are killing

us?

[rocktivity]

9. How could the FDA make such a decision

without so much as informing Congress? We'd BETTER hold hearings!

:headbang:
rocknation

[truthisfreedom]

10. Because bushco has made EVERYTHING incrementally excremental.

It's all going to sh*t.

[Kagemusha]

12. They informed Congress, just in a misleading and incomplete way.

Basically, "This is a plan we're considering" vs. "This is a plan we're implementing." Small change as you can see.

Since then lots of Congresspeople have asked for a halt but I don't recall seeing anything that said that the executive branch gave a damn.

[tiptoe]

13. Because it's *-FDA, & the broader the facilities closure, the easier for privatization to take over

the agency's operations.

The current problems with the food supply -- and, again, lack of oversight and response by yet another *-administered federal agency -- serve the radical conservatives' "arguments" against "government" and for privatization.

Privatizing elections with manipulable electronic voting machines sabotages democracy, and the people currently "taking America down" are election fraudsters, not truly representing the Will of the People.

[Arkansas Granny]

11. And after these labs are closed and the "plan" isn't working,

which big corporate Republican donors stand to benefit by the privatization of this kind of testing?

Just asking.

[bdamomma]

14. This is unspeakable. This regime is totally taking us in the dark ages.

[leftchick]

15. idiot boy wants to make the US worse than China

we are well on our way.

[Ian David]

16. Fire the food inspectors and just say grace before you eat.

If you don't have diarrhea today, thank a Liberal.

[Judi Lynn]

17. We've got to get these right-wing monsters outta here, for chrissakes. It's definitely self-defense.

This is a move most well-balanced people would never have dreamed they'd hear about, not now, not ever.
Especially on the heels of the lesson we've learned, are still learning, about what happens when right-wing pervs start removing all our necessary levels of regulation from our daily lives.

[brentspeak]

18. Subpoena the entire FDA leadership. Follow the money trail.

This has gotten beyond sickening.

[krkaufman]

19. When are we going to start throwing people in jail ....

... for wilfully lying to Congress?

[NYC]

20. I'm too late to recommend this thread.

Hot on the heels of melamine killing pets, and being fed to livestock so that it is in the human food chain, the FDA cuts more than half its field labs.

It's a race to the bottom, and we are winning.