Joe Rogan Experience #2534 - Annie Jacobsen · Aired Jul 31, 2026
Claim summary · not a verbatim quotation
Before 9/11, the United States had only two BSL-4 laboratories.
The finding
What the evidence shows
The pre 9/11 number was higher than this. A 2008 news report on the growth of high containment labs states that only five BSL-4 labs existed in the US before the September 11 attacks, and a 2009 federal watchdog report shows five such labs were still registered as of 2004, not two.
Read the supporting source · www.foxnews.com ↗Quick answer & review status
Quick answer
Is it true that before 9/11, the United States had only two BSL-4 laboratories?
No, not as stated. The pre 9/11 number was higher than this. A 2008 news report on the growth of high containment labs states that only five BSL-4 labs existed in the US before the September 11 attacks, and a 2009 federal watchdog report shows five such labs were still registered as of 2004, not two. Annie Jacobsen said it (matched by voice) on Joe Rogan Experience #2534 - Annie Jacobsen, aired Jul 31, 2026, at 1:02:13. The supporting source is foxnews.com, linked below.
The context belongs here.
No separately verified on-air correction is recorded for this check. That is not a claim that nobody corrected it.
- Attribution
- Not independently confirmed in this record
- Editorial context review
- Not recorded; generated finding
- Coverage
- One selected claim from the episode
Revisions to this check
No dated revision is recorded here. Older checks may predate this log.
Challenge this finding or add context →Keep the evidence coming.
Follow new checks in your RSS reader, or catch up with the weekly briefing on the site.
Email signup is currently unavailable.
Prefer to catch up here? Read the weekly briefing.