NEIDL almost operational as April start-up date nears
By Bessie King (From South End News), December 31, 2008
The Boston University BioLab, officially known as the National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratory (NEIDL), is almost set to open its doors. With facilities that mirror a set from Mission Impossible and scientists ready to begin working, the only thing preventing the lab from opening its doors in 2009 is a report from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) showing that the lab poses no significant danger to the surrounding neighborhood. And that may be the hardest thing to prove.
Over five years ago the project to build a laboratory designed to study the world’s deadliest pathogens began. The path to construction permits and funding has been rocky but what has altered plans the most has been the community’s opposition to the NEIDL. Although experts such as Dr. Ron Corley, chair of Microbiology at the Boston University Medical Center (BUMC), say the NEIDL will be vital for research purposes, South End neighbors and other Boston residents feel that the facility is too dangerous set in the heart of the city.
“My support for the BioLab always assumed that it would not pose a serious risk to the community. I now realize that my earlier decision to support the lab was made without complete knowledge,” said City Councilor-at-large Michael Flaherty at an NIH Blue Ribbon Panel meeting in October.
Many concerns about the NEIDL remain, such as who will have access to the building’s Level 4 labs, what evacuation routes could be used in the case of a security breach or major accident within the building, and how viruses will be transported to and from the facility.
“Who are the first responders in case of an accident? Are we prepared as city government today to respond to accidental or purposeful release [of pathogens being studied at the lab]?” City Councilor Charles Yancey asked at the panel meeting in October, adding that as a member of the City Council’s Ways and Means Committee he noticed “not one penny in the city’s budget to train officials to respond” to an emergency at the lab.
Yancey’s doubts were echoed by Jamaica Plain resident Phyllis Bluhm, who said that, “the worst thing you could do is go on one of the evacuation routes – have you seen the city during rush hour?”
Safety issues are not only a concern for South End residents who have voiced their complaints. Although it has been reported that the BUMC will conduct safety training, which will include the city’s first emergency responders – such as the fire department and EMS, some wonder how non-English speaking residents will react or be dealt with too.
The NEIDL, which is supported by the federal government, is scheduled to become active by April 2009 when the NIH’s approval is expected. The South End remains torn on its support of the BioLab, despite the best efforts of the BUMC to show the public the building will be safe. Many who oppose the NEIDL understand its potential benefit in protecting America against possible biological weapons, while supporters also understand that residents have tangible fears. How the two sides will reach a compromise is still in question, but as workers are selected for the labs and South Enders accustom themselves to seeing the Albany St. site with its unique design one can only hope safety is everyone’s top priority.
NEIDL timetable correction
South End News by Brandon Simes
Managing Editor
Thursday Jan 8, 2009
In the 1/1/09 article “NEIDL almost operational as April start-up date nears,” South End News referenced the potential launch date of the Level 4 portion of the Boston University BioLab, officially known as the National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratory (NEIDL), as April 2009. According to Ellen Berlin, the Director of Corporate Communications at the Boston Medical Center/Boston University Medical Campus, the reference was incorrect. Berlin says the NEIDL will not open in April, and will not open until the National Institutes of Health (NIH) process is completed. “[The NIH does] not have a timetable for the completion of their Risk Assessment process but it is not expected to be any earlier than the end of this year,” Berlin informed South End News via email Jan. 7.