A Russian laboratory exploded with samples of Ebola and smallpox – News

A gas explosion has caused a fire in a Russian research center that stores viruses such as Ebola, smallpox and anthrax, in the city of Koltsovo, in the Siberian region of Novosibirsk.

The detonation took place Monday, after the explosion of a gas cylinder during a series of repair work planned on the fifth floor of the Russian Center for Research in Virology and Biotechnology, known as the Vector's name, in a statement.

According to the agency, no biological material was retained in the sanitary inspection room where the explosion occurred and no structural damage was caused to the body. concrete laboratory building.

In addition, the Russian news agency TASS He reported that a worker had been taken to the hospital and that he was being treated in intensive care for burns.

According to the agency, Nikolai Krasnikov, chief administrator of the city of Koltsovo, stressed that no biologically dangerous material was stored at the place where the explosion and the l & # 39; Fire occurred and that there was no threat to the population.

For its part, the chain RT He reported that the fire had quickly become a "major incident" and that the Ministry of Emergency had sent 13 trucks and 38 firefighters to the scene.

In 2004, another incident was recorded in the same complex, in which an investigator died after accidentally stitching with a needle carrying the Ebola virus.

Can viruses survive an explosion?

The CNN He consulted Dr. Joseph Kam, Associate Professor of Honorary Clinic at Stanley Ho's Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases (CEID), about the possibility of spreading the virus after such an event.

According to Kam, if the fire was hot enough to destroy the viruses, an explosion could spread it and infect people in the room where it is stored or contaminate the immediate surroundings.

Viruses are fragile and more than 100 degrees will kill them

"The viruses are fragile and will kill them at more than 100 degrees," said the specialist, although he added that, in certain circumstances, an explosion could spread the virus. "Part of the blast explosion would remove it from where it had been stored for the first time," he said. This area of ​​contamination can range from 10 to a few hundred meters, depending on the size of the detonation and other factors, such as the speed and direction of the wind, and it 's safe. is a virus that spreads in the air.

The incident occurred a few weeks after the explosion near the site of a failed missile test in northern Russia, which claimed the lives of at least five wartime specialists. nuclear power and caused an increase in radiation levels in the region.

Report by Marcos Calligaris.