Introduction
Images of nuclear disaster at Chernobyl, movie-hyped versions of manmade biological catastrophes, and secret government conspiracies are conjured up at every mention of the proposed UC Davis Bio-Safety Level 4 Lab. We, the seventeen students in the Bio-Containment Lab Seminar, began with a lack of awareness as to the functions and goals of the lab and consequently had no formed opinions. Many in the Davis community were stricken with a lack of knowledge similar to ours and contracted a severe case of the NIMBYs (Not In My Backyard). Many Davis residents based their apprehensions upon rumors and misconceptions hatched by a few tunnel-visioned naysayers.
Thus far, the UCD student voice has been silent. However, this seminar -- originally neutral in its support for the lab -- did the research and we conclude that the new medicines, diagnostics, and knowledge, which are in the interests of public health, far outweigh the risks of having such a facility in our midst.
The purpose of the Western National Center for Biodefense and Emerging Diseases is to better protect the health and well-being of the local and regional community through rapid detection and diagnosis of infectious diseases. This National Institutes of Health sponsored facility will be designed to meet the challenges of new diseases such as SARS and West Nile as well as existing threats like Ebola and Tuberculosis.
Uneasiness in the community has centered around three major issues. The first of these issues involves control of the lab. People envision a top-secret government facility performing dangerous, classified research. In truth, a civilian director chosen for competence in the field of infectious disease will oversee daily use of the lab. The public lab research will be published in scientific journals. It is against UC policy to perform classified research on the UCD campus, and no military personnel will be employed at the lab.
Secondly, many concerned with the current economic slump saw the list price of $200 million and asked from where the money would come. What they did not realize was that the NIH will pay $150 million as well as approximately $10 million per year to cover the operating costs. Both the state of California and the UC system (not just UCD) will take on $25 million each as a long-term, debt-financed payment over 30 years.
The third and probably most important snag in the proceedings was that of safety. The lab will be built according to the most state-of-the-art safety protocols paying attention to the minutest of details. HEPA filters designed to filter air down to eighty-five times smaller than the smallest known virus, blast resistant walls, and an easily securable spot near the southwest corner of campus are the beginning of a long list of safety features. The base guidelines for operation are the multiple-redundant safety protocols that have been in place without incident for nearly forty years at the Centers for Disease Control. Furthermore, the Davis campus with its existing medical, veterinary, and agricultural schools and labs has the diverse infrastructure to support the needs of the facility.
Thus far, the UCD student voice has been silent. However, this seminar -- originally neutral in its support for the lab -- did the research and we conclude that the new medicines, diagnostics, and knowledge, which are in the interests of public health, far outweigh the risks of having such a facility in our midst.
topTopics Covered
Our Honors Seminar split into several distinct groups to research the topics which we felt were the most relevant and were of concern to the community. We have split this website into nine categories reflecting these research topics. They are:
- Purpose: The role that the proposed laboratory would play in the UC Davis campus and public health system of the world.
- Location: The lab's intended location and why UC Davis feels this site is optimal.
- Cost: The cost and where the money is coming from.
- Control of Lab: The officials in charge of the laboratory - who is involved and who isn't.
- Academic Integrity: The policies on classifed research and published research.
- Regulations: The manuals and guidelines the laboratory must follow and what they say.
- Safety / Containment: How the proposed laboratory is going to handle biological samples and protect researches and the community.
- Security: UC Davis' plan to make sure the facility remains safe - protecting staff and biological samples from the outside.
- Transportation: How biologcal samples will be moved to and from the laboratory.
