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Boston University Seeks OK To Open Contested Biolab

Boston University plans to ask the state for permission to study less hazardous biological agents at a completed biolab also designed to study some of the world's most dangerous pathogens.

The $200 million, 192,000-square-foot facility on the university's medical campus was completed in 2008 but has not been used because it has been tangled in the permitting process and challenged in court. Opponents say the lab is too close to their residential neighborhood.

The National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories was designed in part for researching some of the world's most dangerous pathogens, including Ebola and plague.

The university said Friday it will seek a waiver from state environmental regulators so less dangerous germs, including the bacteria that causes tuberculosis, can be studied.

This program aired on August 12, 2011. The audio for this program is not available.

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