Below are articles about Boston University's proposed biological weapons research facility, along with correspondence between Boston University the Council for Responsible Genetics. Accompanying them are sources of information on biological defense research. They should help provide a context for Boston University's facility and the objections raised by its critics.

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ARTICLES ABOUT THE BU LAB

New Germ Labs Stir a Debate Over Secrecy and Safety, New York Times 1 February 2004

Boston Residents Should Decide Future of Biolab by Sujatha Byravan & Sheldon Krimsky, South End News, November 2003

CRG Dismayed by Federal Decision to Fund B.U.'s $1.6 Billion Bioterrorism Lab Proposal, CRG Press Release, 30 September 2003

Community Opposes Boston University’s Proposed Biodefense Lab, CRG Press Release, 26 June 2003

The Devil by The Tail, Or How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love Weaponized Anthrax by Brandon Keim, Weekly Dig 25 June 2003

BU Biodefense: Keeping the Public in the Dark? by Sujatha Byravan & Peter Shorett, South End News, May 2003

Pursuit of Secure Lab Faces Tough Competition by Stephen Smith, The Boston Globe, 11 February 2003

Bioagents in the Backyard by Peg Brickley, The Scientist, 28 January 2003

BU Center May Seek Biosafety Lab Funds by Stephen Smith, The Boston Globe, 28 January 2003

CORRESPONSDENCE

A letter sent to Boston University requesting that their proposal be made available for independent analysis.

Follow-up letter regarding Boston University's continued lack of disclosure.

Boston University's response to the request. Also available in .pdf format.

An Open Letter to the Leadership of Boston University.... A letter sent to the heads of Boston University's proposed facility, asking them to agree to basic standards of openness and community involvement.

GENERAL INFORMATION

The Council for Responsible Genetics' statement on U.S. biodefense.

The Council for Responsible Genetics' Biodefense FAQ.

Mistakes Happen: A list of accidents and security breaches at biocontainment facilities.

ARTICLES ABOUT BIODEFENSE

Medical Branch Fails to Comply with Biosafety Guidelines, Sunshine Project press release, August 2003

AIDS Research Cut To Pay For Anthrax Vaccine, Nature, July 2003

(Let's Be Clear: It's a Biodefense Lab) by Sue Greenwald, Davis Enterprise, July 2003

Biodefense Takes Its Toll, Nature, June 2003

Scientists Warn on Bush Bioweapons Push, Associated Press, March 2003

Rethinking the Biological Warfare Problem by Susan Wright, GeneWatch, March 2003

Bioterrorism Preparedness: Cooptation of Public Health? by Victor W. Sidel, Robert M. Gould, and Hillel W. Cohen, Medicine and Global Survival, July 2002

A Tale of Two Treaties by David Keppel, GeneWatch, March 2002

Double Language and Biological Warfare by Susan Wright, GeneWatch, March 2002

Biowarfare and the Department of Energy by Tim King, GeneWatch, November 2001

OTHER SOURCES OF INFORMATION

The Sunshine Project offers a wealth of information on U.S. biological and chemical weapons development.

Federation of American Scientists Chemical and Biological Arms Control Program site.

Link to the BU National Center for Biodefense, along with their FAQ and contacts.