Army Breaking Ground For $210M Public Health Lab

EDGEWOOD, Md. (AP) -- The Army is breaking ground for a new laboratory near Baltimore dedicated to protecting the health of soldiers and other Defense Department employees.

The Army Public Health Center says the event Thursday morning in the Edgewood Area of Aberdeen Proving Ground follows 25 years of planning.

Director John Resta says the $210 million lab will consolidate operations that are currently spread among 10 outdated buildings in the Edgewood Area. He says most of those buildings were built 70 to 100 years ago.

The Army Public Health Center promotes a healthy fighting force by working to prevent disease, injury and disability among soldiers, veterans, military retirees and their families. The Laboratory Sciences unit includes biologists, chemists, toxicologists and a wide range of other public health professionals.