News

6 at Harvard Were Sickened by Tainted Coffee

10/25/09
New York Times

BOSTON (AP) — Six medical researchers at Harvard University were poisoned in August after drinking coffee tainted with a chemical preservative, university officials say.

In an internal memorandum that was first reported in The Boston Herald on Sunday, the university said the coffee came from a machine near the researchers’ laboratory that later tested positive for sodium azide, a common preservative used in laboratories.

After drinking the coffee on Aug. 26, the six researchers reported symptoms like dizziness and ringing in the ears, and one passed out. They were treated at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and were later released.

The memorandum, written by Daniel G. Ennis, executive dean for administration, and Richard M. Shea, associate dean for physical planning and facilities, did not say whether officials believed the poisoning was intentional.

“As always, we are mindful of the need to be diligent about laboratory safety and security and the importance of proper management of laboratory chemicals,” the memorandum said.

“We are in the process of installing additional security cameras throughout our buildings,” it continued, “and we are strengthening the security systems that manage access to the laboratories during both normal business hours and off hours.”

The researchers, which include staff members and students, all work in Harvard Medical School’s pathology department in its new Boston research building. They were using mice to investigate how diseases interact with the immune system.

A spokesman for Harvard, David Cameron, said Sunday that the university police were investigating, along with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Boston Public Health Commission.

“Essentially, there is an ongoing investigation of what appears to be a single, isolated event,” he said.

Mr. Cameron said that as far as he knew, the laboratory had not been a target of threats or animal-rights protests. He said the university delayed notifying the public about the incident because officials were unsure of what they were dealing with.

“Once you find something,” he said, “you have to double-check and make sure and do the experiments over. So it wasn’t until fairly recently that they were able to be 100 percent sure that this is what it is.”

A spokesman for the Harvard police, Steve Catalano, would not say if the authorities believed a crime was committed.

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