Excerpt

In 2003, the Boston University Medical Center (BUMC) was awarded a $128 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to build one of two national high- and maximum-containment laboratory facilities for research on biological pathogens. The National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories (NEIDL) are meant to support the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases’ biodefense research agenda, conducting research to develop new approaches to treating, preventing, and diagnosing a variety of bacterial and viral diseases [....] The location of the facility on Albany Street in Boston’s South End (an environmental justice community) has been controversial, and there have been numerous public meetings over the plans for the facility as well as three legal actions that challenge the project. Construction of the laboratory building is now complete although commissioning of the laboratory facilities has not been completed. A remaining issue is whether the BSL-4 component will become operational.

Statement of Task for This Letter Report The National Institutes of Health (NIH) will engage the Committee on Technical Input on the NIH’s Draft Supplementary Risk Assessment and Site Suitability Analyses (DSRASSA) for the Boston University NEIDL at key milestones during the development of a draft supplementary risk assessment. The National Research Council (NRC) and the NIH Blue Ribbon Panel (BRP) will meet together in public to discuss the developing draft report. Information contained in the draft risk assessment may include data on agents, models, and scenarios; preliminary modeling results; and quantitative and qualitative assessments. Documents reviewed and discussed at these meetings will be made available to the public. Following each meeting with the BRP, the NRC Committee in closed session will prepare brief letter reports on the preliminary results of the supplementary risk analyses, focusing on whether the analyses are scientifically and technically sound in general and whether they address the public health concerns previously raised by the NRC in its review of the July 2007 DSRASSA. These letter reports will be made available to the public. The committee will also provide written comments on the draft supplementary risk assessment when that document is made available for formal public comment. The Committee will submit their findings in the form of a final letter report that will also be made available to the public.

Contents

• Letter Report
  • Background and Introduction
  • Committee Response and Recommendations
• Attachment A Committee on Continuing Assistance to the National Institutes of Health on Preparation of Additional Risk Assessments for the Boston University NEIDL
• Attachment B March 19, 2010 Open Session Public Agenda