Customer Reviews

Lab 257: The Disturbing Story of the Government's Secret Plum Island Germ Laboratory

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I found this to be one of the most engaging and astounding books I have ever read. The author tells the story of Plum Island, an island of the coast of Long Island on which was located a US government laboratory that ran secret experiments of various viruses, bacteria, and other microbial agents. Superficially owned by the USDA, its stated purpose was to help US agriculture by studying the different diseases that could afflict livestock, and come up with vaccines or cures for them. The real purpose of the lab was to study those diseases to see if and how they could be weaponized for use against the livestock of other countries in a war, specifically the Soviet Union.

The experiments that went on at Plum Island began during the 1940s and continued through the 1990's. During this time, Lyme disease, West Nile Virus, Ebola, and other diseases were imported here from various geographies and countries to be studied. The author speculates that many of these diseases accidentally got out and of the island, and spread to the local wildlife and then to the human population. The causes of these mishaps range from human error, technical failures of various kinds, and the occasional hurricane.

The author does a good job of covering the science that went on at this lab, along with the politics and secrecy involved, such as Congressional oversight, lawsuits from various NGO's, and conflicts with the local media and governments. This is a great book to read, and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to know more about where your tax money goes to.

Has it ever occurred to anyone that the first outbreaks of Lyme disease, in 1975, happened a mere 10 miles from the Plum Island germ laboratory? It certainly didn't to me until after reading this book. Since 1948, ticks have been bred and infected with the Lyme virus and other horrific viruses on this US govt. owned island located off the coast of Long Island and Connecticut in Long Island Sound. Old Lyme, CT, namesake of the disease, lies directly in the path of the prevailing wind direction from Plum Island. It just kind of makes you wonder.

This book provides an objective history of the Plum Island Animal Disease Center - from its early days as a biological warfare laboratory following WWII (...), through the years it was controlled by the USDA, up until today, when control of the island lies with the Dept. of Homeland Security. At least two outbreaks of diseases that made it to the mainland from Plum Island have occurred over the years; there is also evidence that other virus outbreaks - such as the West Nile virus - possibly originated at the Plum Island facility.

It is amazing that so few people really know about the activities on the island, especially when you consider that it is just miles from one of the most populated areas in the country - the New York City area. This book is a great read for anyone concerned about the environment, biological warfare, or the mechanics of the federal govt. It is a must-read for anyone living within 100 miles of Plum Island and/or using Long Island Sound recreationally.

If "The Hot Zone" scared the pants off of you, then this book will leave you naked. As an eastern Long Islander, this book really opened my eyes and made me think. With every chapter I read, I was on the phone soon afterwards telling my friends, "And you know what else the government is doing there...." The only reason I did not give this the full five stars was that it seemed to me in the last chapter that Mr. Carroll changed his stance on this issue. After an entire book of relating the nasty things that have happened on Plum Island---and ARE happening--Carroll suggests that perhaps Plum Island is needed. If this is his belief after all the research he did, then why wasn't that reflected in the rest of the book? Even so, I reccommend this book to anyone concerned about the health and safety of their neighborhood, particularly everyone living in the Long Island/Connecticut areas.

Michael Carroll's brave and compelling book raises questions that must be answered. The depth of research becomes clear quite quickly, but Carroll's a master of taking a LOT of information and delivering it in a very readable fashion. If The Hot Zone and the Omega Code raised the hairs on your neck, this book will deliver, but much scarier, because you can't just walk away and say "It's only a movie"....
Anyone who dismisses this book as an unlikely scenario is just naive. Bravo to Carroll, whose 7 years of writing shows up on every page.
This is a book that you should read, and then send to your Congressperson and Senator immediately. Though Carroll discusses the threat to the eastern seabord, I'm here to tell you that the same thing that happens to the guard in the first chapter happened to me in the Hollywood Hills in one of LA's most exclusive neighborhoods.....that means it can happen to you. Read this book, and wise up.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to Mr. Carroll for having the courage to write this enlightening book. As a chronic Lyme disease sufferer for 14 years, it was always my gut feeling that this horrible disease somehow originated at Plum Island, but was never quite able to put all the details together. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined that my illness might have originated from a Nazi Germany biological warfare program. This is a very bizarre illness with psychiatric, neurologic, arthritic and cardiac manifestations. Many Lyme sufferers are also coinfected with Bartonella, Babesia, Ehrlichia, Mycoplasma fermentins and various other pathogens. Now it is easy to see why the government has not helped the Lyme community in developing a reliable test to diagnose this. Now it is easy to see why we have received little help from the government for the development of a reliable test. No good test equals no diagnosis = no problem. The government would have a massive lawsuit on their hands for all the people that have suffered this inhuman disease and all the people in the future who it will affect. Lyme disease is reaching epidemic proportions. The undiagnosed segment of Lyme sufferers is probably at about 75%. This book is probably the most important read for Americans today. Thank you to Mr. Carroll for this wonderful piece of investigative reporting. His research is invaluable.

Michael Carroll has done a tremendous job in writing this book. Having dealt with Lyme disease for the past 10 years makes one leery of what Lab 257 is doing. Is Lyme disease a US Government Coverup? A terrible mistake? An accident or a planned release of a bacteria that may be the cause of untold millions of illnesses. Why hasn't the US Government come up with an accurate test for Lyme disease? This book should be in every library and on everyone's reading list.

I found this book riveting and horrifying, despite several inconsistencies and unanswered questions. The sequence of events would have been easier to follow with a better explanation of dates, locations and characters involved. Credibility of facts is harmed by the fact that in one section of the book the author describes a plumber who is laid off in May of 1991 during the conversion to privatization of facility management; and yet a chapter later, this character is saving the day during Hurricane Bob in September of 1991.
I was thoroughly let down after the huge build-up to the hurricane and disastrous power outage in Lab 257. I was left wondering how they cleaned up the mess and what the upper management had to say about the incident.

The main question in my mind after reading the book was that if Lyme disease did spread to Connecticut from experimental ticks on the island, then it should be very easy to prove: ticks on the island should show a higher frequency of carrying the B.burgdorferi (sp?) bacteria than surrounding locations in Connecticut and Long Island. The author could have taken the ticks he found on himself when he visited the island in for testing. If Lyme disease really originated in Connecticut, you might see a lower frequency of infected ticks on the island compared to the Lyme area itself.
The described lack of attention to proper safety procedures at Plum Island during the 70's and later is so horrifying-- it deserves a better documented disclosure.

I bought this book because of natural curiosity I've had since I read DeMille's "Plum Island" a few years back. Carroll obviously spent hundreds of hours over a few years meeting Lab workers, newspaper reporters and people infected with unusual diseases. My only criticism is that in the end, too much is left to the imagination. That said, the author brings to light many events that I never knew about as a native Long Islander. Later in the book Carroll discusses the lax security that has plagued the island, even in the years since 9/11. Well written, very interesting...I definitely recommend it (especially if you are big fan of conspiracy theories).

This is a chilling book and an excellent read. We've known about the government's research into biological weapons for a long time, but Lab 257 just makes it more real. For an excellent account of human experimentation involving biological agents and much much more, I recommend In The Name of Science: A History of Secret Programs, Medical Research and Human Experimentation by Andrew Goliszek.

Having fished off Plum Island 20 years ago, the the straight between Orient Point and Plum Island known as Plum Gut, I can say that Mr. Carroll's book is clearly accurate. Had I known the information provided, I'm not sure I ever would have taken the Orient Point Ferry or fished anywhere on Long Island's east end. Since the east coast of the US is so populated, Mr. Carroll does a great job describing the dangers and potential fixes of this island. Carroll does a great service to the country by bringing this issue to the attention of the world.