Statement from Boston University Regarding the National Institutes of Health Report
Boston University Medical Center
Janaury 24, 2007
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) today released the results of a study that concluded that Boston’s South End is a safe location for a new infectious disease research facility, the National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories (NEIDL), currently being built there by Boston University and Boston Medical Center. After comparing the risks associated with building this facility in urban, suburban, and rural locations owned by Boston University, the NIH study identifies Albany Street in the South End as the best and most appropriate location upon which to build and operate the NEIDL.
The study concluded that from the perspective of the risk associated with conducting infectious disease research, locating the laboratory in the South End was found to be as safe as or safer than suburban and rural alternatives. 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.
The report also looked at variables such as the laboratory’s impact on air quality, noise, wetlands, and emergency response. The data confirmed that the Albany Street location is the best and most appropriate site for the NEIDL and that its urban location is as safe as or safer than less congested alternatives. The laboratory is currently under construction and is approximately 70 percent complete.