Feds: BU biolab no danger to Hub: S. End plant mostly complete
Boston Herald
January 24, 2007
Jay Fitzgerald
Boston Herald General Economics Reporter
The National Institutes of Health yesterday ruled that the proposed South End anti-bioterror lab now under construction won’t pose a serious threat to the city neighborhood.
The federal agency’s OK came in response to lawsuits filed by opponents of the high-security Boston University lab, where scientists plan to conduct research on dangerous germs that some fear could one day be used by terrorists.
Some neighborhood residents and activists have opposed the lab, saying it shouldn’t be stuck in a densely populated urban area where many lower-income people live.
The $178 million building is now about 70 percent complete and slated for opening sometime next year.
The NIH’s report said there is “no difference” in simulated transmissions of germs, whether a lab is in an urban, suburban or rural area.
In a statement, Boston University said the NIH report proves that Albany Street in the South End is the “best and most appropriate location” for the lab.
“The study’s conclusion is consistent with previous analyses, which also found that constructing the lab in the city would not create a public health risk,” said the BU statement.
A spokesman for opponents could not be reached for comment yesterday.
In 2003, Boston University was awarded one of the two highly sought-after NIH grants to build a high-security biosafety lab for the government. The second lab will be in Texas.