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Biolab Victory!Thursday August 3, 2006 - A Massachusetts court has recently ruled that further review is necessary of the environmental impact of the proposed Boston University Biosafety Level-4 lab. This will not stop plans for the lab, but it does bring legal attention to the issue and forces it to be reconsidered. In the Media:
Overview:
In February 2003, President Bush announced Project BioShield- a $6 billion, 10-year project to increase the U.S.ís bioterrorism capacity. Through Project BioShield, Boston University has been approved to receive $1.6 billion to build a biological agent research lab in the South End, adjacent to its current medical center. The facility has received a BioSafety Level 4 rating, the highest security classification for such research, as it will deal solely with the most infectious and incurable pathogens such as ebola, anthrax, and plague. 1) Public Health RiskThe proposed facility will be constructed at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Albany Street bordered on the south by the Southeast Expressway. A February 2001 report by the U.S. Energy Department showed that eight biological weapons labs lacked adequate controls, coordination and federal supervision. There have also been reports of workers at BioSafety Level 4 Labs acquiring infections, some having resulted in deaths. Contamination usually occurs during routine procedures with the tearing of gloves or needle sticks. Recently, a Fed Ex warehouse in Columbus, Ohio shut down after a package containing West Nile virus exploded en route to a testing lab . Although the virus was contained before anyone was hurt, such government use of private shipping companies raises the possibility of an infectious sample being spread, lost, or stolen. 2) Community ConsequencesA BSL 4 site has never been situated in such a densely populated urban community. The area in which the facility would be constructed is one of the few parts of Boston that provides working class jobs and affordable housing. The construction of the facility would result in a loss of blue-collar jobs in the area and increased gentrification pushing lower income families and individuals out of Boston. 3) Loss of DemocracyThis kind of research may also violate codes set by the Public Health Commission in 1994 in regards to acceptable forms of testing in Boston's boundaries, further strengthening the legal case against the site. BU has held two public hearings since it began competing for the grant contract in the spring of 2003, during which it revealed almost nothing about the research subject - biological weapons. University representatives as well refused to release any written evidence of their "good faith efforts" to inform the surrounding neighborhoods of its intentions, according to attendees of the meeting including Klare Allen of Safety Net and Peter Shorett of the Council for Responsible Genetics. Although BU purported 59% support for construction by local residents at its last public hearing, it has yet to disclose what research will actually take place to any of those residents. What You Can Do to Stop Bioweapons in Boston! Boston University students and community members are organizing! Join Boston Mobilization, ACE, Safety Net, the Council for Responsible Genetics, and the BUGBLOC coalition. Call your city Councilors! City
Councilors Contact Info (scroll down to the drop down menu and
find your City Councilor) Links:Important websites in the Campaign to Stop the BioWeapons Lab
Interesting Facts, Resources and Articles:There’s Precedent for Stopping Biodefense labBy Boston City Councilor Felix D. Arroyo Wednesday, February 8, 2006 NY Daily News, Aug 22, 2004 - 1.5B for Labs Only Fuels My Bioterror Accident Report of Previous Bioweapon Labs Biolabs Archive - An Activists Toolkit Associated Press article: Scientists ask city officials to nix bioterror lab NTI article: Proposed U.S. biological research could challenge treaty restrictions Z Magazine July/August 2004 article: Cynthia Peters interviews Klare Allen Boston Globe Magazine 08/08/04: When Bioterror Moves Next Door, by Daniel Schulman and Adam Smith |
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30 Bow Street,
Cambridge, MA 02138 ph 617-492-5599 fax
617-945-1735 contactus@bostonmobilization.org
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CONTENTS Hear world renowned scientists explain the dangers of this Lab! Download at BrollFilms.com |
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