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Johns Hopkins Evacuates Two Lab Buildings After Release Of Tuberculosis Research Sample
Buildings at a Baltimore hospital were evacuated Thursday after employees were possibly exposed to tuberculosis, officials said. The Baltimore City Fire Department responded to Johns Hopkins Hospital to investigate after 鈥渁 small sample of frozen tuberculosis鈥 being used for research purposes was inadvertently released in an internal bridge between Cancer Research Building 1 and Cancer Research Building 2, Johns Hopkins Medicine spokeswoman Kim Hoppe said in a statement. (Moyer, 7/5)
The bacteria, which usually attacks the lungs and can require months of treatment, was released from a 鈥渟mall sample of frozen tuberculosis鈥 in a walkway between two cancer-research buildings, said Ms. Hoppe. The sample was used for research. The release triggered a heavy emergency response outside the complex of Johns Hopkins hospital buildings, including the shutdown of the two used for cancer research. A 鈥渓imited number鈥 of workers who were in the area at the time of the release were isolated, according to Connor Scott, chief of staff in the health system鈥檚 security office. (Evans and McKay, 7/5)