Biolab panel eyes safety
Boston Herald
March 14, 2008
By Christine McConville
A panel of experts convened by the National Institutes of Health began reviewing public safety concerns surrounding a national biocontainment research laboratory being built in Boston’s South End neighborhood.
“Our number one concern is the safety of the people working in the laboratory and those living in the surrounding communities,” NIH Director Elias A. Zerhouni said in a written statement about the agency’s latest review of the new Boston University Medical Center research laboratory.
“All of the analyses conducted to date indicate that the risks posed by this lab are extremely low,” he wrote.
The university’s controversial biolab – which is being built in part with NIH funds – will focus on the development of diagnostics, treatments and vaccines for a variety of infectious diseases. It will house some of the world’s deadliest germs.
People living and working near it – and city leaders – have objected to locating this facility in a dense urban area. They are especially worried that, if dangerous bacteria and viruses leak out, people won’t be able to quickly evacuate.
Because the community still has concerns, “we will address those concerns rigorously, objectively and comprehensively,” Zerhouni said.
Meanwhile, Boston University Medical Campus spokeswoman Ellen Berlin said the university is confident the national health agency’s new review work will show that the lab, which is nearly complete, will be safe.
“This third-party examination is an essential step in the public process,” she wrote.
The health agency’s “blue ribbon panel” – which includes 16 leading infectious health and public safety experts – will meet again today.