Will the National Bio and Agro-defense Facility, or NBAF, be a dangerous bioweapons lab?
No. The United States is a signatory to the international treaty prohibiting the development and use of biological weapons. Consequently, there are no bioweapons labs in the U.S. NBAF’s charge is to develop solutions to high-consequence foreign animal diseases, including those that can spread from animals to people. The facility will allow for basic infectious disease research, as well as the development of diagnostic tests and validation of treatment methods and vaccines. The facility, which will replace the aging Plum Island Animal Disease Center off the coast of New York, will integrate animal health research with public health research relative to national security. Ways to prevent and treat serious diseases threatening the nation’s food and health will be developed at NBAF, not biological weapons. 2. Will bringing NBAF to Manhattan make the community a terrorist target? No. NBAF would be a highly improbable target. Attacking the NBAF facility to obtain or release disease-causing a
