Support Spreading For Proposed Biolab
Boston Courant
April 11, 2004
Advocates of a proposed infectious diseases laboratory in the South End finally turned out in support of the controversial facility, outnumbering and cheering louder than the lab’s opponents at a public meeting last week at Boston University (BU).
“We were pleased to see that level of support. It was a real cross section of support,” said Boston University Medical Center (BUMC) spokesperson Ellen Berlin. The top security lab will be operated by BUMC.
At earlier informational events at the Boston Public Library and City Hall, residents opposed to the lab filled the seats and dominated the audience. Some booed and heckled the lab’s proponents.
This time, when scientists and security personnel asserted that the lab will be safe and will produce valuable medical breakthroughs, the applause blocked out the jeers. About 250 scientists, residents and union construction workers packed into a BU auditorium, and dozens of others watched on a television in an overflow room to learn more about the lab slated for Albany Street.
The meeting was part of the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA)’s review of the project before it decides whether to issue a permit. The public can submit comments to the agency until October 25.
The debate about the lab began in September, 2003 after BUMC was awarded a $128 million federal grant to build a facility to study the world’s most dangerous diseases. A similar grant was also given to the University of Texas in Galveston.
Opponents argued that spores from deadly airborne pathogens such as anthrax could accidentally escape from the lab and into the community.
“I just don’t want to see an accident in the City of Boston in a high density area,” said City Councilor Maura Hennigan.
BUMC countered that the lab will be safe, calling it “a submarine within a vault.”
Kevin Tuohey, executive director of operations and public safety at BU, said, “It really is an airtight facility built within an area of the building where everything leaves cleaner than when it came in.”
He said that scientists entering the facility will be recognized by an iris scanner. Pathogens will be prevented from leaving the space through sophisticated air filters.
BU Associate Provost Mark Klempner stressed the significance of the lab. “These are important infectious diseases that we need to understand in order to protect the public,” he said.
In response to neighbors who said they do not want the facility nearby, Klempner said that Boston was chosen because it is the national hub for biomedical research and has highly trained scientists.
“This isn’t just plopped down in Boston. This is really part of a national strategic plan,” he said.
BUMC also promoted the lab as a boost to the local economy, providing thousands of construction and lab jobs.
The Campaign to Stop the Bioterror Lab, a consortium of activist groups, was given 10 minutes to present its case at the meeting.
“We need to watch out that we’re not creating bigger monsters than we already have out there,” Jamaica Plain biologist Marc Pelletier said, warning that scientists in the lab could create uncontrollable organisms by altering a pathogen’s DNA during research.
The BRA then opened the floor to public comments. Speakers signed up in advance for three minutes at the microphone. The comments began shortly after 8 pm, an hour into the meeting, and went until almost 10 pm.
By Jason Burrell, Courant News Writer