- 6 - 
'FERDINAND J. MACK 
ATTORNEY AT LAW 
SUITE 1M 
OLD TOWN CENTER 
r- WEST JSPTER80N ST. 
M/OCKVILLE MARYLAND 
SOROO 
9. Ominously missing from the environmental impact statement, 
althouqh required by NEPA,is an assessment of the potential damage 
to life and health of the residents of Frederick County, Maryland, should 
the organisms involved in the experiments react in an untoward way, 
and should they escape laboratory containment. By their very arguments 
that the experiments pose " virtually " no risk to man or the environment, 
(Memo p. 14) and that the maximum containment facilities make escape 
" virtually ” impossible and that there is " virtually " no possibility of 
any adverse environmental impact from this statement, (Memo p. 10-11) 
defendants concede the possibility of the unthinkable contamination of 
the environment with a novel disease which may cause illness, death, 
and untold harm to this and future generations. Despite this frightening 
scenario, simple questions, like — Are there other facilities where the 
experiments can be conducted which are more removed from the population 
centers than at Ft. Detrick? How much would it cost to prepare suitable 
facilities for the conduction of these experiments at other locations? 
How much time would it take to prepare other suitable facilities? — are 
not answered — not even addressed — by defendants. 
The defendants accept the possibility of escape of the 
organisms from the experimental confinement. They acknowledge that these 
organisms could result in real hazards to health, for it is for this very 
reason that the Risk Assessment Studies are to be conducted. But 
more than six months have elapsed since defendants became aware that 
the processes of this Court would be utilized to force an environmental 
impact statement on the Risk Assessment Studies and rather than 
utilizing that time in a good faith effort to prepare a statement on these , 
experiments , they have instead attempted to side step the issue rather 
301 270*2830 
[Appendix C — 130] 
