CDC Bioterrorism class A, B, and C agents are associated with congressional mandates and/or federal regulations.

CDC Bioterrorism class A, B, and C agents are associated with congressional mandates and/or federal regulations.

• A. True
• B. Not Applicable
• C. False
• D. Cannot be Determined

Answer: (C)

The key idea is that A, B, and C are risk categories used by the CDC to help with preparedness and response planning, not a set of regulatory mandates. This labeling is a public health tool to prioritize attention, training, and resource allocation based on how dangerous or easily disseminated an agent could be. The federal regulatory framework that actually imposes legal controls is the Federal Select Agent Program, created by federal law, which regulates a specific list of select agents and toxins. Not every agent labeled A, B, or C falls under those regulatory controls, and not every regulated agent is necessarily defined strictly by that A/B/C risk scheme. So while there is a federal-regulatory context around select agents, the A/B/C classifications themselves are not themselves congressional mandates or federal regulations, making the statement false.

The key idea is that A, B, and C are risk categories used by the CDC to help with preparedness and response planning, not a set of regulatory mandates. This labeling is a public health tool to prioritize attention, training, and resource allocation based on how dangerous or easily disseminated an agent could be. The federal regulatory framework that actually imposes legal controls is the Federal Select Agent Program, created by federal law, which regulates a specific list of select agents and toxins. Not every agent labeled A, B, or C falls under those regulatory controls, and not every regulated agent is necessarily defined strictly by that A/B/C risk scheme. So while there is a federal-regulatory context around select agents, the A/B/C classifications themselves are not themselves congressional mandates or federal regulations, making the statement false.