The HHS/USDA Tier __________ select agents present the greatest risk of deliberate misuse with significant potential for mass casualties or devastating effect to the economy, critical infrastructure, or public confidence, and pose a severe threat to public health and safety

The HHS/USDA Tier __________ select agents present the greatest risk of deliberate misuse with significant potential for mass casualties or devastating effect to the economy, critical infrastructure, or public confidence, and pose a severe threat to public health and safety

• A. Tier 1
• B. Tier 2
• C. Tier A
• D. Tier 3

Answer: (A)

The framework for regulating select agents uses tiers to reflect how dangerous a agent or toxin could be if misused. The top tier is assigned to agents with the greatest risk of deliberate misuse that could cause mass casualties or major disruption to the economy, critical infrastructure, or public confidence, and would pose a severe threat to public health and safety. That description matches the highest tier, so it’s the correct choice. Being in this top tier triggers the most stringent controls—tight facility security, rigorous personnel reliability and background checks, strict access controls, meticulous inventory and incident response planning, and enhanced regulatory oversight. Lower tiers describe agents with significant but comparatively less risk and correspondingly lighter requirements. Tier A is not part of the official FSAP tier designations.

The framework for regulating select agents uses tiers to reflect how dangerous a agent or toxin could be if misused. The top tier is assigned to agents with the greatest risk of deliberate misuse that could cause mass casualties or major disruption to the economy, critical infrastructure, or public confidence, and would pose a severe threat to public health and safety. That description matches the highest tier, so it’s the correct choice.

Being in this top tier triggers the most stringent controls—tight facility security, rigorous personnel reliability and background checks, strict access controls, meticulous inventory and incident response planning, and enhanced regulatory oversight. Lower tiers describe agents with significant but comparatively less risk and correspondingly lighter requirements. Tier A is not part of the official FSAP tier designations.