Will the controversy over BU’s biosafety level 4 lab now under construction in the South End ever end?

In the latest development, the National Research Council today sharply criticized an NIH review of the lab released over the summer, which concluded that the lab wouldn’t pose a risk of disease outbreak to neighborhood residents and would be just as safe in Boston as in other more rural locations. In that study, researchers modeled the accidental release of 4 pathogens from the lab and compared what would happen in three locations: Boston, Peterborough, MA and Tyngsborough, MA.

In the fall, the state of Massachusetts asked the NRC to review the NIH review and the results came out today. A quote from the chair of the NRC review committee sums it up pretty well (from the press release): “The NIH draft report has serious weaknesses, in particular regarding selection of pathogens and lack of transparency of the modeling, leading the committee to conclude that the draft is not sound and credible.”

In addition, the press release said:

_ The Research Council committee said that the draft does not adequately identify, or thoroughly develop, worst case scenarios for the release and spread of a pathogen. _

According to the Globe, this NRC report could factor into ongoing environmental impact reviews. An earlier environmental report was rejected by a state judge, who called it “arbitrary and capricious.”

(Thanks Heidi for the tip.)