Bio-Tech 2020s: The Great Boston Area Complacency
If the Covid-19 virus was created in a lab in Wuhan, would it change how you view the labs going up around your city?
Until we know what really happened at the Wuhan Institute of Virology shouldn’t we err on the side of caution?
First, can today’s biotech labs create similar, or worse, pathogens?
And if so, how much of that technology should we allow in our neighborhoods?
The possibility that there was a lab leak in China is bad enough. A Cambridge pharmaceutical company Biogen held a two-day conference in February, in 2020, that was the first Covid-19 superspreader event. Why were they so complacent? Worse, why do we remain so?
Why haven’t we re-examined bio-tech labs in our cities, when they’re going up everywhere we look?
Is our economic dependence on the life science business preventing us from asking difficult questions? (I deal with the economics and demographics: here)
Most previous risk assessment has been done around the risk of known pathogens escaping the labs. But we might live in a different world where one can design and manufacture new pathogens which can slip by our defenses.
Many computer viruses that end up infecting computers aren’t released by the virus makers themselves (who often do it to impress other hackers). They are released by unskilled hackers who believe they can impress a few people without ruining the lives of millions. Not surprisingly, because they aren’t very skilled, the virus often does more harm than they ever imagined.
It isn’t enough for a bio lab to create safe mechanism to handle pathogens. They must also guard them from those who might release them without understanding the larger consequences.
Perhaps a pathogen is created that gives someone a small seizure in 24 hours. Someone releases it at a frat party for fun. You can fill in the rest.
I’ve read very little analysis of what procedures need to be put in place to prevent either the illegal creation of bioweapons or an accident causing harm from this new technology.
Do we record who uses what machine when? Does new equipment require new types of audit trails and monitoring? As equipment ages, do we need to revisit removal and maintenance issues?
During the pandemic we never accepted robust contact tracing. Everyone avoiding the virus independently. Personally, I wanted robust contact tracing. If a bio weapon is released in Boston we are the proverbial sitting ducks. I don’t want to scare anyone, but it must be said.
Can our local fire departments really cope with newer higher-tech pathogens?
The last push I see into these issues was in 2012.
Even today, do students or visitors know that dangerous pathogens exist nearby? Did you know Boston approved the riskiest of labs, a BSL-4 facility at Boston University in 2017.
In May 2004, a Level 2 facility had an accidental release of highly infectious tularemia. What’s happened since then? Why has it been so difficult for me to find recent accidents?
Why don’t we have a State-wide clearing house for all past, current and future pathological phenomenon?
Again. Complacency and sleep-walking.
Who exactly is going to regulate what goes on in all these new commercial bio labs? I live in Cambridge and haven’t received a single piece of literature explaining what I should do in the event of an “event”. With all the labs going up, wouldn’t that be prudent?
Is there…
- Failure to do on-going risk assessments of new technology.
- Failure to explain clearly and transparently who regulates these facilities and more importantly, how much money needs to go towards their oversight.
- Failure to communicate compliance breakdowns through an integrated portal.
- Failure to educate the community on warning signs and what to do in the event of a terrorist or accident.
- A re-assessment of how commercial labs are regulated.
Don’t get me wrong. This research is important. I believe the labs should be built. But I also see complacency everywhere I look.
We should learn exactly what can be done in these labs and make sure sure it doesn’t kill us.
Here’s a 2009 story by Janice O’Brien that remains just as relevant today.
