Copyright worldtribune
by WorldTribune Staff, October 27, 2025 Real World News The number of laboratories that handle the most lethal viruses on the planet has increased exponentially over the past four years and many work without oversight or regulation, according to an investigation that relied only on open sources. The study, first published in May of this year, by the Journal of Public Health aimed to investigate the worldwide distribution of BSL-3 and BSL-4 laboratories. It found more than 100 dual-use BSL-4 labs operating worldwide and more than 3,500 BSL-3 labs. These facilities “carry not only the broken promise of defending us from pandemics but also the danger of enabling bioweapons creation, whether by accident or deliberate misuse,” Jon Fleetwood noted in an Oct. 24 Substack.com analysis. The study found that more than 90% of the countries with at least one BSL-3 laboratory lacked oversight or regulation of dual-use research of concern. Dual-use research refers to experiments that can be used for good (e.g., alleged drug development) but also for harm (e.g., creating a bioweapon). The study found that: “No international organization has a comprehensive register or global oversight of Biosafety Level 3 (BSL-3)/BSL-4 laboratories. Different countries use different standards for designation of pathogens and laboratories.” Before the Covid pandemic, only a modest number of BSL-4 labs existed worldwide. Studies published earlier this year show there are now more than 100 operational BSL-4 labs across 34 countries. Researchers identified a staggering 3,515 BSL-3 laboratories in 149 countries. The researchers stated in their Journal of Public Health publication: “We identified 3,515 BSL-3 laboratories in 149 countries, with nearly half (47.1%) in the United States. Details on geolocations and pathogens they handled are publicly available for 955 of these labs. The United Kingdom had the highest rate (N = 9) of BSL-3 labs per million population, while Bangladesh had the lowest. High-income countries house 82% of these laboratories. There are 110 BSL-4 laboratories in 34 middle- and high-income countries, and 46% are in the WHO’s Europe region. Notably, from the health security index perspective, 91.6% of countries with at least one BSL-3 laboratory lack guidelines for dual-use research of concern.” BSL-3 laboratories work with serious or potentially lethal pathogens that can be transmitted through the air and usually have available treatments or preventions, such as tuberculosis, SARS-CoV-2 (Covid), and avian influenza “bird flu.” BSL-4 laboratories handle the most dangerous and exotic pathogens that often cause fatal diseases with no available vaccines or treatments, such as Ebola and Marburg viruses. Dr. Richard Bartlett warned that Covid resulted from dangerous lab experiments and urged a global ban on bioweapons, calling the unchecked spread of BSL-3 and BSL-4 labs—where such pathogens are made—an existential threat to humanity. Subscribe to FPI News Service “President Trump recently spoke to the UN General Assembly, stating that Covid was the result of risky laboratory experiments and that the United States would lead an effort to ban bioweapons,” Bartlett told Fleetwood. “The White House, U.S. Congress, FBI, CIA, German intelligence, and the Department of Energy’s intelligence division have all acknowledged that Covid ‘may have’ originated from a lab. Bioweapons are developed in BSL-3 and BSL-4 laboratories. Yet no one has been held accountable for the worst catastrophe in U.S. history,” Bartlett said. “The continued proliferation of BSL-3 and BSL-4 labs worldwide shows that we have learned nothing from this disaster. Bioweapons, like nuclear weapons, are weapons of mass destruction—and the stockpiling of pathogens such as avian flu represents an existential threat to humanity.” Fleetwood noted: “Taken together, the proliferation of BSL-3 and BSL-4 labs around the world raises national security, informed consent, and conflict of interest concerns.” Those concerns include: • They raise national security concerns because accidental or intentional lab leaks put American lives at risk, clearly proven by the COVID-19 pandemic. Congress, the White House, the Department of Energy, the FBI, and the CIA have confirmed that the COVID pandemic was likely the result of lab-engineered pathogen manipulation. • They raise informed consent concerns because citizens are often unknowingly and/or unwillingly exposed to risks from nearby labs or experimental pathogen releases conducted without public awareness or approval. • They raise conflict of interest concerns because many of these labs are funded by entities that profit from the development of pathogens and drugs that target those pathogens, meaning they benefit financially from an accidental or intentional lab leak-caused outbreak. Anthony Fauci — who dismissed claims that a lab leak caused the Covid pandemic — has admitted in print that the greatest biosecurity threat regarding dangerous pathogen research is laboratory “insiders who have direct access” to the pathogens or “outsiders who collaborate with or subvert insiders.” Fleetwood concluded: “Given the mounting evidence of accidents, secrecy, and conflicts of interest, the continued operation of these bioweapons labs poses an unacceptable threat to humanity’s safety. “The only responsible course is to shut down all BSL-4 facilities worldwide and impose a global moratorium on high-risk pathogen experiments in order to prevent further catastrophe.” Support Free Press Foundation Out of control? Report finds more than 100 dual-use ‘BSL-4’ bioweapons labs worldwide, WorldTribune.com
