California Health Dept. Ordered Fresno County Officials To Keep Quiet About Illegal Biolab in Warehouse

Officials with Fresno County revealed that the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) told them to keep quiet about the secret illegal biolab discovered in Reedley last March.

A mysterious unsanctioned biolab operating in a warehouse in the city of Reedley, California, was discovered by local authorities in March, but the news didn’t break until last month.

But Fresno County Department of Public Health (FCDPH) assistant director Joe Prado claimed his department was told to keep the bombshell revelation from the public.

“As we’re communicating with state and federal agencies, they’re making it very clear, we cannot speak on this,” said Prado. “This is our protocol, this is what they adhered to and they’re not able to speak on an ongoing investigation. They’ve made that clear pretty much since day one.”

Instead, Fresno County was told to put out the following holding statement while an investigation was underway.

CDPH is working with local, state and federal partners, as well as law enforcement authorities, to assess the situation at the warehouse and the department’s food and drug branch has launched an investigation into the manufacturing practices of the unlicensed company that was doing business from that location. This is an ongoing investigation that will take time to resolve and we are therefore unable to share additional details.

Remarkably, CDPH in a May 1 email had instructed Fresno County to revise its statement by not mentioning the specific address where the biolab was found as well as the use of PPE (personal protective equipment), law enforcement involvement, and specifically assuring residents that no hazardous materials posed a threat to the public.

The warehouse was discovered to have an “unlicensed laboratory full of lab mice, medical waste and hazardous materials,” including samples of dangerous pathogens like coronavirus, HIV, hepatitis, chlamydia, and E. Coli.

The discovery of biological and viral agents at the warehouse led to a multi-agency investigation which included the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the FBI, the State Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC), the State Department of Health and the California Department of Public Health (CDPH).

Prado had said in July that he’d seen nothing like it.

“Twenty-six years with the county of Fresno, and I have never come across this situation nor have I heard any of my counterparts deal with a situation like this,” he said, adding that investigators found “over 800 different chemicals on site in different bottles of different acids.”

In sum, not only was this illegal lab allowed to operate without any regulatory oversight, but the California Department of Public Health covered up the disturbing find for nearly five months.

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