Universal Detection Technology responds to the U.S. Government's failure to address bioterrorism

Jan 29 2010

Universal Detection Technology (www.udetection.com) (OTCBB: UNDT), a developer of early-warning monitoring technologies to protect people from bioterrorism and other infectious health threats and provider of counter-terrorism consulting and training services, responded today to a bipartisan congressional committee’s scathing report card failing the U.S. Government for adequately preparing the country for the threat of a bioterrorism attack.

“Nearly a decade after September 11, 2001, one year after our original report, and one month after the Christmas Day bombing attempt, the United States is failing to address several urgent threats, especially bioterrorism”

The Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism, head by former Senator Bob Graham (D-FL) and former Senator Jim Talent (R-MO), gave the government a “F” letter grade for failure to “enhance the nation’s capabilities for rapid response to prevent biological attacks from inflicting mass casualties.”

The report gave 17 letter grades for the government’s handling of WMD and terrorism. Out of the three “F” letter grades given, the most vocal from the commission was the failure to address the imminent threat of bioterrorism.

“Nearly a decade after September 11, 2001, one year after our original report, and one month after the Christmas Day bombing attempt, the United States is failing to address several urgent threats, especially bioterrorism,” said Senator Graham in the report, released this morning at the National Press Club. “Each of the last three Administrations has been slow to recognize and respond to the biothreat. But we no longer have the luxury of a slow learning curve, when we know al Qaeda is interested in bioweapons.”

“National security experts have been telling us for a long time that the threat of a biological attack is very real,” said Jacques Tizabi, Universal Detection Technology’s CEO. “The commission’s report card, with the glaring “F” letter grade for bioterrorism prevention, will be a red flag – not only to Congress and the current Administration – but also to other government agencies, state and local municipalities and the commercial sector. We have been warned. Now is the time for us all to adequately prepare ourselves,” continued Tizabi.

Universal Detection Technology’s biological pathogen detection equipment has been extensively used by first responders and private industry, and has been evaluated by the U.S. DoD as well as the United Kingdom military. The company’s DHS Safety Act certified 5 agent biodetection kits, , and single agent strips can notify a first responder of the presence of anthrax and other deadly pathogens in as little as three minutes. UNDT’s BSM-2000 system, utilizing technology licensed from NASA’s JPL, is an autonomous airborne detector of bacterial spores. The system samples the ambient air and can notify a first responder of elevated levels of bacterial spores, which is a typical signature of an airborne anthrax attack.