Foot and Mouth crisis could have been avoided says Chemical Engineer

Last month's outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease in Surrey could have been prevented, according to Keith Plumb, a Chartered chemical engineer and biosecurity expert.

The leak – which led to the disease hitting two farms near Guildford – appears to have been caused by the virus escaping through a leaking underground pipe before being brought to the surface by July's flooding. It is believed that the virus was then spread by floodwater onto the tyres of vehicles using the site. The pipe connected the private pharmaceutical company, Merial Animal Health to the UK government run, Institute for Animal Health (IAH).

Plumb says that the case identifies lapses in safety, maintenance and virus handling. "It is surprising that Merial was apparently allowed to transfer untreated effluent from their premises to the Institute for Animal Health (IAH). A virulent and persistent virus like Foot and Mouth Disease should be destroyed within the same building as it is being handled and not transferred anywhere else.

"Transferring dangerous liquids through underground pipes is undesirable because leaks are difficult to detect. Best practice in process engineering suggests running the pipe above ground, making leak detection much easier. A further layer of protection would be provided by a double pipe system that contained any leaks and this could be backed up by an automatic leak detection system.

A set-up like the one at Pirbright, where an underground pipe transfers harmful liquid from one site to another, can also lead to confusion about who is responsible for maintenance. The best way to overcome this problem would be completely separate effluent systems ensuring that liquid waste containing live virus travels the shortest distance possible," Plumb concluded.