The Third Decade

Biolab delayed again

I can't remember the last time I thought about or heard anything about the BU Biolab. This afternoon, however, the Globe is reporting that the lab is facing more delays due to another - hopefully more complete - safety review by the National Institutes of Health. Can't say I'm sad about that, though. I had my doubts about the lab in the first place, as did many people in neighborhoods surrounding the lab. I'm sure all eyes will be on the NIH, its methods of analysis, and the final report from now until 2010.

Biohazards on the subway? Oh, hell naw!

OK, so there's a saying about things happening in threes. Well, this time, I hope that saying is wrong.

First, I rode an Orange Line train around 12:30 this afternoon and sat across from a guy transporting six boxes stamped with BIOLOGICAL SUBSTANCE CATEGORY B stamped on them. One box was on a seat next to him and the other five boxes were inside a large, clear plastic bag emblazoned with a large red and black BIOHAZARD logo. The bag had been scrunched closed at some point, but had since worked its way open. Given that I was traveling north from Roxbury, I suppose it's possible that the guy was coming up from the state medical lab in JP. Kinda weird that he'd carry something like that on the subway, though.

Second, my neighborhood associations are beginning to circulate a Herald article from 2 weeks ago. Here's the title: 

Boston University, insurer in flap over leaky biolab pipe repair$

Catchy headline (no pun intended). Seriously, though, this lab is supposed to be a place where scientists study the world's most dangerous and incurable diseases. They haven't accomplished putting the building together correctly, despite having an extra year or two to put it together, but, they expect the surrounding communities to accept that their research in the middle of the city is safe and that they will take adequate measures to contain and alert officials of problems. Riiiiight.

Anyway, I'm hoping that the things-happen-in-three saying is wrong. In one day I saw a guy casually transporting materials marked biohazard on the subway and read about BU's leaky bio lab. The last thing any of us needs to come across is news of an actual loss or leakage of hazardous biological agents in the middle of Boston. It really shouldn't be that easy to cross paths with things of this nature in the middle of a city in a post-9/11 world. 

If the Herald article is no longer available online, I've copied it below.

Go See Europe Before It Freezes Over

All this warm winter weather has really woken me up to the idea that local prophetess - and former gubernatorial candidate - Grace Ross had it right on the global warming issue during the recent campaign. It's not that I didn't believe in global warming before, but this long stretch of unseasonably warm weather is driving the point home. Ms. Ross was spot on with her timing! Plus, after watching An Inconvenient Truth last week and reading about how the Arctic icecap may be nearing a tipping point yesterday, I'm left wondering what price we'll pay for this warm winter in future years.