• What is the Ricketts Laboratory?
• What is a Regional Center of Excellence, an RCE?
• Why Do RCEs Need Regional Biocontainment Laboratories?
• Would a Regional Biocontainment Laboratory work on developing or making biological weapons?
• What are NIAID's requirements for building RBLs?
• What is the difference between a Regional and a National Biocontainment Laboratory?
• What are "emerging and re-emerging diseases"?
• If treatments for a disease already exist, why do we need to do more research?
• Biological weapons are abhorrent, so why should we build additional facilities where such things can be worked on?
• Specifically, what bio-agents does NIAID ask be studied at a regional laboratory?
• What makes a Regional Biocontainment Laboratory different from other BSL-3 laboratories?
• Where should Regional Biocontainment Laboratories be built? Couldn't they be at a university or a hospital?
• Were other potential locations mentioned in the proposal?

Planning for the Ricketts Laboratory

• What did the University propose and who else is involved?
• Who is responsible for this initiative at the University of Chicago?
• Why was Argonne chosen as the location for the RBL?
• While there are advantages to associating this new facility with Argonne, did the proposal analyze using current technologies to maintain close collaboration between Ricketts and Argonne without being in the same site?
• What is the timeline for building the Ricketts Laboratory?
• What are some of the specifics of the RBL plan?
• What is architect Flad and Associate's background in this area?
• Who is Howard T. Ricketts?

Assessments and Operations

• Who will conduct and approve the environmental studies for the Ricketts Laboratory?
• What form will building-specific security take?
• Will employees leaving the facility be inspected?
• What arrangements are being made to ensure the safety of the Ricketts Laboratory?
• Is Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) equipped to monitor the facility?
• What are the protocols for keeping track of bio-agents while you have them?
• How would biological materials be transported to the Ricketts Laboratory?
• What would be done with shipments that fell short of shipping standards? Would they be sent back or taken in and tested for hazardous content?
• What if a carrier bringing in a package of biohazardous materials has an accident?
• How would materials be transported between the laboratory and other Argonne facilities, such as the APS and Biosciences?
• What quantities of research materials would be at the laboratory?

Impact on Surrounding Communities

• Will the Ricketts Laboratory be safe for neighboring communities?
• What if there is a release of a biological agent from the laboratory?
• Have any studies been done on the plume and the area under the plume?
• What happens to bioagents when research on them at the laboratory is complete?
• What impact will the laboratory have on home values?
• Have any studies been done since September 11, 2001 on the impact of biocontainment laboratories on home values?
• Will construction of the Ricketts Laboratory interfere with traffic on roads surrounding Argonne?
• What are the benefits to local communities of having the Ricketts Laboratory located nearby?
• Would workers at the laboratory be vaccinated?
• Can laboratory workers carry infection to the public?
• How long will it take to develop safety protocols for a biological laboratory such as this?
• Will animals be used for testing?
• Will people at Argonne be reassigned to this laboratory or will there be new people hired from outside?
• What kind of jobs will the new facility create? How will applications be taken?
• If this is a University of Chicago laboratory on an Argonne National Laboratory site, will the University or Argonne administer it and which would be reporting on its activities to neighboring communities?
• What notification policies will be in place to advise residents in case of an accidental or malicious release of pathogens into the air or water supply?
• Who would provide emergency services for the Ricketts Laboratory? How would it affect taxes and community services?
• What happens if a fire or a tornado were to affect the Ricketts Laboratory, or if the facility is otherwise damaged?
• Will work conducted in this laboratory be secret? Will the community be kept informed about the nature of the research being done?

Additional Questions

• Why aren't you planning to build the laboratory closer to the Advanced Photon Source (APS)?
• Will having such a research facility make Argonne and its neighboring communities a more likely target for terrorists?
• What provisions will be taken to prevent a terrorist attack on the Ricketts Laboratory that would release dangerous germs into the air or water supply.
• What do the Biosafety levels represent?
• You indicated that, as a BSL-3 facility, the Ricketts Laboratory will handle only pathogens for which there are cures or vaccines, but isn't it likely that your manipulation of the known germs may result in mutations for which there is no known treatment?
• Can you assure the community that the Ricketts Laboratory or any program developed therein will not evolve into a BSL-4 initiative?
• Has there ever been an accident at a BSL-3 or BSL-4 facility?
• Who will conduct the impact study to determine the likely consequences of any release into the atmosphere of the pathogens handled at the Ricketts Center?
• What is the number of fatalities and the number of serious injuries on community residents that are considered tolerable in the cost-to-benefit analysis of this project?
• What independent entity will be responsible for monitoring compliance with all security measures by the Ricketts Laboratory?
• What funding or insurance will be secured to care for personal and property losses in case of a release of dangerous pathogens or to compensate residents for any devaluation of property values due to proximity to the RBL?
• Have other locations - farther away from populated areas - been considered for this initiative? If so, what locations?
• Will the proposed laboratory be related to the National Nuclear Security Administration?
• What kind of tick carries Rocky Mountain spotted fever?