Act of the Research and Development Entities of July 25, 1985 (Law Gazette 33, 2001, pos. 388);
Regulation of the Council of Ministers of July 30, 2002, on the functioning, establishing, merging, dividing, reorganization, and liquidation of the research and development entities supervised by the Minister of National Defense and the minister proper for the intertior affairs (Law Gazette 126, 2002, pos. 1076);
Regulation of the Minister of National Defense of September 16, 2002, on the establishment of the Military Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology (Law Gazette 152, 2002, pos. 1268);
Bylaw conferred on the General Karol Kaczkowski Military Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology by Decision no. 249/MON of the Minister of National Defense of September 20, 2002;
The NATO Commercial and Government Entity Code NCAGE no. 0422H, issued on January 21, 2004.
The founding and executive authority of MIHE is the Minister of National Defense who also appoints and dismisses the Institute’s director.
Currently, MIHE is a unique research and development institution in Poland whose mission is to conduct research, prophylaxis, surveillance, and training associated with medical protection and countermeasures against the use of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), including chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) agents. These activities are executed in compliance with the recommendations and standards of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization which allows MIHE to cooperate with members of NATO and European Union in building of the international systems of countering the proliferation of WMD. In this regard, MIHE is the domestically and internationally recognized entity which – according to the classification of the Ministry of Science and Information Technologies – belongs to the first category of scientific institutions in Poland.
Major activities of MIHE include:
conducting scientific research, diagnosis, prophylaxis, and training as well as providing expertise and services in the fields of hygiene, epidemiology, microbiology, pharmacology, toxicology, radiobiology and radiation protection, applied and nutritional physiology as well as veterinary sciences, with special emphasis on the study and mitigation of health hazards associated with the use of biological, chemical, and radiological/nuclear weapons;
final identification (performed at the unique in Poland biosafety level 3 microbiological laboratory of the MIHE’s Biothreat Identification and Countermeasure Centre in Pulawy) of dangerous pathogens which may be used as a biological warfare (BW) agents;
functioning as a reference and expertise center for defense against biological weapons and certain aspects of toxicology, radiobiology and radiation protection;
participation in development of systems of detection, identification, and countering of biological, chemical, and radiological contaminations of people, animals and the environment;
participation in prevention against and management of health injuries caused by natural and industrial disasters and catastrophes;
examinations of bio-medical effects of and development of protective measures against highly dangerous biological pathogens and toxins (including BW agents);
examinations of bio-medical effects of and development of protective measures against dangerous chemical compounds and preparations (including CW agents);
examinations of bio-medical effects of ionizing (including radiological and nuclear weapons) and non-ionizing radiation with special emphasis on low-level exposures;
validation of the radiation protection rules and regulations;
examinations of the physical fitness and elaboration of methods of adaptation of the military and other uniformed personnel to the physically demanding conditions;
assessment of the quality of food, elaboration of methods of its improvement, and studies on the physiology of nutrition of the military personnel in the barracks and during field operations;
participation in national and international security systems against biological, chemical, and radiological threats.
Since 2003, MIHE has been performing specific research and development tasks ordered by the Minister of Defense. These include:
Defense and protection against biological warfare (BW) agents;
Studies of bio-medical effects of chemical agents, ionizing, and non-ionizing radiations and development of protective and therapeutic countermeasures;
Studies of ways of improvement of the sanitary-hygienic conditions of military operations carried out in biological, chemical, and/or radiological environments;
Studies of physiological conditions and mechanisms of adaptation to the military operations, especially in biological, chemical, and/or radiological environments;
Studies of epizootic and anthropozootic threats to the military personnel and development of protective and therapeutic countermeasures.
Finally, MIHE conducts expertise, surveillance, and training activities such as:
Issuing opinions on the ratification/implementation feasibilities of the NATO standardization agreements (STANAGs) and other national and international documents pertaining to defense and protection against WMD;
Control of observance of the radiation protection rules by the military and other institutions employing sources of ionizing and non-ionizing radiation;
Issuing opinions on hygienic, sanitary, physiological, ergonomic, toxicological, anti-epidemic, and radiological properties and requirements of the military posts, offices, facilities, equipment, outfits (including individual protection garment), materiel, vehicles, etc.;
Supervision of laboratory methods and procedures used at the military centers of preventive medicine;
Training of physicians, veterinarians, and other specialists in microbiology, epidemiology, hygiene, toxicology, and radiation protection;
Education of soldiers and other uniformed personnel in sanitary-hygienic issues.
Director of MIHE assumes a position of a national specialist in epidemiology for the defense against biological threats; he also serves as consultant in epidemiology for the Surgeon General of the Polish Armed Forces.
As a scientific and advisory entity for the protection and defense against WMD MIHE closely collaborates with both the state and non-governmental institutions such as the National Security Bureau, State Sanitary Inspectorate, Sanitary Inspection of the Ministry of Interior, and Foundation for the Prevention of Terrorism and Biological Threats.
Organizationally, the Institute consists of the research departments and independent laboratories which are grouped on two premises in Warsaw (Dept. of Hygiene and Physiology, Dept. of Microbiology and Epidemiology, and Laboratory of Scientific Information located on 4 Kozielska St., and Dept. of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Dept. of Radiobiology and Radiation Protection, Dept. of Microwave Protection, Dept. of Radiation Hematology, and Interdepartmental Laboratory of Protection against Bioterrorism located on 128 Szaserow St.) as well as on 2 Lubelska St. in Pulawy as the Biological Threats Identification and Countermeasure Centre (including the BSL-3 laboratory, Dept. of Protection against Food Contamination, and Dept. of Epizootiology and Combat of Zoonoses). All the research units are being served by the financial-accounting section, logistics section, organizational-personnel section, and informatics section located on 4 Kozielska St. in Warsaw.
Major research and development projects recently conducted at MIHE:
1998-2000: a research project granted by the TNO Prins Maurits Laboratory in Rijswijk, The Netherlands, entitled “Analysis of biological samples of victims exposed to sulfur mustard as a tool for diagnosis and adjustment of medical treatment”;
1999-2003: coordination of a research project granted by the 4th Framework Program of the European Commission INCO-COPERNICUS ERB CT15 IC980303 entitled “Evaluation of the biological effects and health risk associated with exposure to radio- and microwave electromagnetic fields in occupational and environmental settings”;
2000-2002: a goal-oriented project granted by the Ministry of Science and Information Technologies entitled “Identification of the BW agents”;
2001-2003: the NATO Linkage Grant research project entitled “Effects of ionizing radiation on angiogenesis in tumors” accomplished in cooperation with the Institute of Radiobiology of the German Armed Forces;
2003-2005: a goal-oriented project granted by the Ministry of Science and Information Technologies entitled “Modern strategy of prophylaxis and therapy of contaminations with CW agents”;
2004-2005: a goal-oriented “MIDAS” project financed by the Ministry of National Defense entitled: “Mobile WMD Defense Laboratory - the Biological Part”, accomplished in collaboration with the Military Institute of Chemistry and Radiometry;
2004-2006: a goal-oriented project granted by the Ministry of Science and Information Technologies entitled “Fast detection of the exposure of people to ionizing radiation for evaluation of the effects of terrorist acts, radiation accidents, and military operations employing nuclear weapons”;
from 2005: a goal-oriented “FABIOLA” project financed by the technological Panel CEPA13 “Radiological, Chemical, and Biological Defence” of the Western European Armaments Group carried out in cooperation with the Military Technical University; the aim is to elaborate rapid methods of detection of biological warfare agents through analysis of the laser beam-excited specific fluorescence of live and vegetative forms of microbes;
2006-2009: the solicited project “Models of threats to a metropolitan area and crisis management system based on the example of the capital city of Warsaw”; the aim is to develop a software supporting the management of crisis initiated by biological, chemical, radiological/nuclear and other threats inflicted upon urban agglomerations.
International cooperation:
· As a result of cooperation of MIHE with and support from the Office of Defense Collaboration of the U.S. Embassy in Warsaw a unique in Poland laboratory of the microbiological safety level 3 (BSL-3) was established and opened on April 24, 2002, at the Institute’s Biothreat Identification and Countermeasure Centre in Pulawy. The Center has successfully passed three control tests for identification of the coded biological samples provided by the NATO SIBCA (Sample Identification of Biological and Chemical Agents) Group and has grown into the hub of research and reference unit in the field of defense against BW agents;
· Specialists from MIHE have long been participating in the activities of NATO bodies involved in medical aspects of the defense against WMD, such as the Medical NBC Working Group, the RTO HFM Panel and its Task Groups: for Bio-Medical Effects of Ionizing Radiation, and for Protection against the 3 kHz-300 GHz Electromagnetic Fields, the Biological Medical Advisory Committee (BioMedAC), and the two COMEDS’ groups: the Military Medical Protection Group (MMP) and the Hygiene, Technology, and Veterinary Service Working Group;
· Since 1999, MIHE has been participating in the activities of the International Advisory Committee on the Electromagnetic Fields Program of WHO;
· On May 21, 2004, director of MIHE signed, on behalf of the Minister of National Defence of the Republic of Poland, the Information Exchange Annex IEA-A-03-PL-1688 for the US-Poland Master Information Exchange Agreement Concerning Technologies for Biological Defense. The Annex provides for the exchange of scientific and technical information on mutual interest on the research, development, and testing of equipment, reagents and techniques intended to contribute to the defence against biological and mid-spectrum (biological modulator) agents. For the Department of Defense of the United States of America the IEA was signed by the technical director of the Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (ECBC), Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD. The Annex, effective for a period of five years, is the renewal of the similar agreement (IEA-A-96-PO-1556) signed between the two ministries on December 13, 1996; in both cases Assoc.Prof. Michał Bartoszcze (head of the MIHE’s CBDC in Pulawy) has served as the Polish Technical Project Officer to the Agreement.
Other international contributions of MIHE include:
Organization of three NATO Advanced Research Workshops: 1) Rapid methods of the biologically contaminated environment (May 1997), 2) Scientific and technical consequences of the Protocol to the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention for the civilian industry (November 2000), and 3) Preparedness for defense against bioterrorism and re-emerging infectious diseases – requirements and expectations in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe (January 2003);
Organization (together with Defense Policy Department of the MoD and the Security Policy Dept. of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs), on behalf of the NATO-Russia Council’s Ad Hoc Group on Proliferation, of the first NRC Workshop on exploring opportunities for practical cooperation between NATO and Russia in protection against chemical and biological weapons (December 2003);
Annual organization of the international conferences “Defense Against Biological Threats;”
Technical support to the national delegation of the Republic of Poland to the Ad Hoc Group of the State Parties of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention and participation in the 5th Review Conference of the Convention;
Participation in the training courses “Treatment of casualties of a biological attack” and “Biosafety practices mentorship program” organized by the US Army Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) and “Treatment of casualties of a chemical attack” organized by the US Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense (USAMRICD).
Participation of MIHE in scientific consortia:
“Protection of the Population - Innate Anti-infectious Immunity - Biological Attack” (Agreement signed: May 31, 2005; Participants: 6; Coordinator: MIHE);
“Polish Technology Platform for the Defence Systems” (Agreement signed: Sept 9, 2005; Participants: 33; Coordinator: Military University of Technology, Warsaw, Poland).