Lawsuits, foes derail biolab schedule
Boston Herald
Aug 12, 2008
By Jay BFitzgerald
Boston University conceded yesterday its high-security anti-bioterrorism lab won’t be opening on time due to all the legal wrangling surrounding the controverisal project.
But that won’t stop Boston University Medical Center from conducting mock “emergency” drills and training early next year to test its public safety and health procedures.
The $178 million lab, where the university hopes to study highly dangerous germs and pathogens one day, is more than 90 percent complete and would have been able to open on time later this year – if it wasn’t for lawsuits and public opposition to the South End lab.
Now BU is not setting any date for when the fortress-like structure, built with federal funds, might open, said spokeswoman Ellen Berlin.
But the university plans to use the extra time to train personnel who will staff the lab, where Ebola, the plague and other “Level-4” materials might one day be studied.
“It’s an exceptional opportunity,” said Berlin, noting staff members plan to practice how to receive and deliver materials, though there won’t be actual germs and other pathogens present when drills are conducted.
The training will begin with BUMC-affiliated staff members, then branch off to include fire and police personnel, she said.
BU has said the lab will be safe, but critics have said such dangerous materials shouldn’t be allowed in a densely populated area like the South End.
Last year, the National Research Council harshly criticized the National Institutes of Health for poorly researching the safety aspects of the new lab.
Earlier this year, a panel of scientists urged the NIH to be more “transparent” in its work.