r. 



102 



Technical Obsolescence 



Many laboratories were up to date when they were built in the 1950s, 1960s and 

 1970s. However, advances in scientific technology have made these once state-of-the- 

 art facilities obsolete. Many labs lack the heating, cooling, ventilation and electrical 

 capacity required for modem laboratories. For instance, several of the labs at BeltsvUle 

 Agricuhural Research Center and NIH do not meet the current standard of 10 to 15 

 air exchanges (complete transfer and replacement of air) per hour. The problem of 

 technical obsolescence has been compounded by the conversion of non-laboratory 

 facilities into labs. At Beltsville they have converted sections of greenhouses and even 

 ig barns into labs. At NIH an alleyway was covered with a roof and converted into a 

 ab. Few of these converted facilities meet scientific standards. 



1) Does the existing stock of federal laboratories meet current engineering 

 and scientific standards? 



(Answer: Some do and some don't, it depends on the agency and 

 the lab. Few government laboratories are as well built, maintained 

 or equipped as university or private sector labs.) 



2) To what extent does the old age of federal laboratory facilities reduce their 

 technical capacity? 



(Answer: The old age is the major factor limiting productivity. Tech- 

 nological advances have made many government labs obsolete.) 



The Backlog of Facilities Needs 



The GAO study found a backlog of laboratory maintenance, repair and upgrade 

 needs ranging from $3.8 billion to $4.5 billion. The backlog consists of a wide range of 

 problems, including everything from minor repairs such as replacing leaky windows - 

 to compete renovation to new construction - like the NIH Clinical Center. 



Three agencies, the Department of Energy, NASA and the Agricultural Research 

 Service, account for approximately three quarters of the total backlog. The Agricul- 

 tural Research Service laboratories are in the worst overall shape, with the backlog 

 representing 40 percent of the replacement cost of all facilities. 



1) Can you discuss the nature of the $4 billion backlog of facilities mainte- 

 nance, repair and upgrade needs? What kinds of projects are included in this 

 backlog? 



(Answer: All types of projects are included. They are as small as 

 repainting a lab and as large as replacing NIH's Clinical Center.) 



2) How long would it take for the federal labs to eliminate this backlog? 

 (Answer: They can't with existing budgets. More money is needed.) 



The impact of Poor Laboratory Conditions 



Federal Laboratory Research 



It is impossible to quantify the cost of poor laboratory conditions on research ac- 

 tivities. Poor laboratory conditions have forced researchers to duplicate experiments 

 and have limited the ability of some labs to attract and keep scientific personnel. In 

 some cases poor conditions have prevented laboratories from doing certain types of 

 research - for instance, due to the lack of suitable lab space, NIH lacked the ability to 

 respond quickly to the need for research on drug resistant tuberculosis, in the worst 

 cases, poor conditions have caused experiments to be ruined or results lost. Clearly, 



