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Animal Research
Study Nears End
4 groups created to investigate claims
By Jeff Silver
Assistant University Editor
UNC officials are working to com
plete an investigation of animal research
protocol ordered by the National
Institutes of Health this summer and are
confident the organization, will notice
improvement.
The internal investigation was
ordered by the NIH after People for the
Ethical Treatment of Animals filed a for
mal complaint with the agency in April.
At that time, PETA released a video
shot by an investigator showing workers
allegedly mistreating mice and rats at
laboratories at the Thurston Bowles
Building.
The investigation report is due Sept.
13, according to the NIH. The NIH
originally set an August deadline, but
UNC was given an extension because
University labs were subject to several
inspections throughout the summer,
UNC officials said.
Lester Kwock, chairman of UNC’s
Institutional Animal Care and Use
Committee, said the committee already
has compiled a nearly 100-page report He
said officials are working on answering a
12-page list of questions sent by the NIH.
The NIH is declining comment until
the investigation is closed.
IACUC has formed four subcommit
tees to look into the allegations.
One of these will look into specific
problems highlighted in the video.
Another is examining euthanasia proce
dures because parts of the tape showed
lab workers allegedly violating euthana
sia protocol. The third subcommittee is
evaluating the Division of Laboratoiy
Animal Medicine, whose jobs include
coordinating veterinary care for labora
tory animals. The fourth will compare
UNC’s policies to peer institutions and
laboratories of similar size.
Kwock acknowledged that the
IACUC has had problems in the past,
saying the committee’s policies granted
too much leeway to individual
researchers.
But he said changes in written rules
specifically denote what is allowed when
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using animals. “It’s not going to be ‘doing
what you want to do,’” Kwock said.
Tony Waldrop, UNC vice chancellor
for research and graduate studies, said
he commissioned three national experts
to evaluate UNC’s procedures to gain
an outside perspective on University
protocol.
Kwock said all three are former
members of the Association for
Assessment and Accreditation of
Laboratory Animal Care.
“They are individuals who are highly
viewed by the NIH and AAALAC,”
Waldrop said.
But PETA spokeswoman Mary Beth
Sweetland said her organization is not
satisfied with the University’s response.
She disputed the claim that input from
outside experts brought in by Waldrop
will help. “Usually their report ends up
being far more of a smoke screen and a
justification than it does a setting right of
things,” Sweetland said.
Waldrop said UNC labs have made
considerable improvements to animal
treatment since the spring, saying UNC
officials received positive feedback from
AAALAC inspectors who visited cam
pus labs throughout the summer.
“Looking into the allegations is going
quite well,” Waldrop said.
But Sweetland said positive feedback
from the accreditation agency does not
necessarily demonstrate progress.
“AAALAC is an apologist for labs;
Everyone knows that - it’s not much of
a secret,” Sweetland said. “The organi
zation itself is a mouthpiece for the
industry.”
Since the allegations first came out,
UNC has closed two facilities for renova
tion: a floor in the Glaxo building and the
entire Bumett-Womack building.
Neither will house animals when they
reopen.
Kwock said each location was cited
by AAALAC members in their summer
visit as deficient. Both have been prob
lems in the past and have been subject
to numerous stopgap changes.
The University Editor can be reached
at udesk@unc.edu.
SWINGIN' STRINGS
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DTH/KIMBERLY CRAVEN
Luluk of Luluk Purwanto and the Helsdingen Trio plays the violin in the
Olde Campus Upper Quad on Monday. The jazz group's performance at
UNC was one of 42 at campuses around the nation.
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Airports Ask for Time
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON - Managers of 133
airports that handle three-fourths of the
nation’s air travelers asked the Senate on
Monday to extend the year-end deadline
for screening all luggage for bombs.
The airport managers signed a letter
saying the Transportation Security
Administration can’t buy, install and
operate the baggage-screening equip
ment by the cutoff date without creating
major air traffic problems.
“The 2002 deadline is an arbitrary
deadline that cannot be met at many
U.S. airports without serious implica
tions to security, customer service, air
port facilities, passengers’ willingness to
travel and, ultimately, the national econ
omy,” the letter said.
Congress may extend the deadline,
which it set as part of security legislation
after Sept. 11. The House last month
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voted 217-211 to move it back by a year.
A Senate committee will consider the
idea when lawmakers return from their
summer vacation in September.
The TSA said the agency is making
every effort to meet the deadline, but
may be stymied because Congress cut its
request for $4.4 billion to $3.85 billion.
“We’re back looking at our books see
ing what we can do,” said TSA spokes
woman Heather Rosenker.
Earlier this month the Transportation
Department’s inspector general ques
tioned whether enough machines could
be produced and enough employees
hired to operate them in time.
Kevin Cox, senior executive vice
president at Dallas/Fort Worth Airport,
predicted three-hour waits if the dead
line isn’t extended.
“We know what it’s going to do to our
airports, and it’s not what the traveling
public expects on Jan. 1,” Cox said.
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