South End residents who are bracing for the opening of the BU Biolab, where scary germs like ebola will be studied, have a reprieve. The "National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories" was supposed to open in the fall, but the National Institutes of Health has declared that its review won't be finished until "on or before" April 2009, the Globe reports.

A panel had criticized the NIH in the past, saying its reviews of the Biolab were not "sound and credible." The Supreme Judicial Court called the permit approving the Biolab "arbitrary and capricious." A fire that broke out on the biolab construction site must have made neighbors feel even less reassured.

Ebola and germs like it must be studied; otherwise, how can science fight them? Unfortunately, someone must put up with the lab next door (funny how these labs never wind up in the wealthier suburbs, eh?). However, it is the NIH and BU's responsibility to make sure that the Biolab meets the gold standard. At least the NIH is stepping up now, but it would have been nice--and more reassuring for those living near the biolab--if they had done so sooner.

Album image from amazon.