Submitted via IRC for Bytram
Chemical spills put Italy's underground physics lab in jeopardy
Scientists fear for the future of Gran Sasso National Laboratory, a world-leading underground physics lab in central Italy, after prosecutors charged four lab leaders with endangering drinking water supplies. Sparked by a number of accidental spills that released small amounts of toxic chemicals into groundwater feeding a local aqueduct, the 28 September legal action could lead to at least two major Gran Sasso experiments being shut down.
Gianpaolo Bellini, a particle physicist at the University of Milan in Italy and a former spokesperson for Borexino, one of the lab experiments in jeopardy, says fears of contamination are “groundless.” But he says the lab itself is in a “very delicate situation.” He worries that research groups, particularly from abroad, might be put off by the possibility of legal action and delays to their work. “This [investigation] damages the reputation of the lab,” he says. “People will be more cautious about coming and therefore more cautious about investing their money.”
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 12 2018, @06:52AM
I can't say I have much sympathy. If they are spilling toxic material into the groundwater, then fears of contamination are entirely justified. Inadequate and ineffective safety protocols are good reason to be cautious, because if they are sloppy handling toxic chemicals, they are likely sloppy about other things. They either need to clean up their act, or have it cleaned up for them.