Terry's Reviews
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Book Reviews: |
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Lab 257 Written by Michael Christopher Carroll William Morrow, 2004 |
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| I live on Long Island. It’s pretty darn
frightening to know that sitting probably fifty to sixty miles northeast of my home is a
small little island, called Plum Island, a place that could potentially cripple and
destroy our entire country. How could such a small place do that? Plum Island is the home
of two Animal Disease Centers that house some of the most dangerous germs known to man or
animal. It would not be impossible for one of these deceases to escape the island and spread across the mainland of the United States, Canada and Mexico. In fact Michael Christopher Carroll goes on to explain that deceases have already escaped Plum Island three times. This isn’t something admitted by the government or even Plum Island officials but Carroll makes a strong case that West Nile fever escaped in 1999, Lyme disease in 1975, and Dutch duck plague in 1967. This spellbinding book chronicles the history of the small little island, which sits only 1-½ miles off the northeast coast of Long Island. We learn what the purpose is for Plum Island and how its functions have changed for the worse over the years. It’s pretty scary to learn how careless safety is taken on Plum Island and it’s even more frightening how poor the buildings are up kept. Plum Island has failed numerous inspections and has been sited for several safety violations, many of which have never been fully addressed. Carroll does a masterful job of recreating what happened when Hurricane Bob hit the little island head on in 1991. Hurricane Bob squeezed the power out from the island and it resulted in a biological meltdown. Carroll’s words, which are the stories, related from crewmembers working that day, paint an absolutely terrifying picture of what is was like when all safety tools failed and the laboratories overflowed with animal waste and germs. It’s pathetic and sad what Plum Island officials do to the men who put their lives & health on the line for their job. You should read it yourself. |
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