A federal infectious disease laboratory in DeKalb County is supposed to be a crown jewel in the nation’s defense against bioterrorism and other killer diseases.

But an hourlong power outage at the building last month, and the failure of a backup generator system, have raised questions about safety at the facility run by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The incident also renews concerns about security and regulation of similar high-containment labs being built across the nation to work with the world’s deadliest germs, several experts said.

“This is an astonishing design lapse,” said Richard Ebright, a molecular biologist on Rutgers University’s biosafety committee. “It’s just remarkable that a building of such national prominence, intended for work with some of the most lethal agents, was designed and constructed without an effective backup power system.”

The outage shut down air pressure systems designed to contain deadly germs for about 60 minutes. No injuries were reported.

Ebright said CDC should close the lab building until the problem is fixed.

CDC and other experts disagreed. They said the high-containment labs have many layered safety systems that protect scientists and the public even if power fails.

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