In Context: 5 Web Perspectives On A Story In The News

Harvard: Lab workers poisoned by tainted coffee

(USA Today) Six Harvard students have been poisoned after drinking coffee laced with sodium azide. There were no fatalities, however one of said students, Matteo Iannacone, a researcher at the University, suspects it was intentional because the substance is commonly used in medical school's laboratory. The University police are investigating the incident and are stepping up security on campus.

1.

Safety and health in laboratories

Occupational Safety & Health Administration
The Occupational Safety & Health Administration is part of the U.S. Department of Labor and is based in Washington, D.C. Deputy Assistant Secretary Jordan Barab represents OSHA, an organization that is in place to assure safe and healthy work conditions for working men and women. The site allows one to search specific criteria, such as the safety and health practices of a particular university laboratory. It is very thorough in its examinations and is a useful tool in comparing universities nationwide.

2.

Contextualizing on the world’s stage

World Health Organization
The World Health Organization is the health authority within the United Nations system and has a vested interest and responsibility in global health matters. WHO headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland and was established in 1948. The contents of the WHO website are issued for general distribution by the World Health Organization. The website is a credible resource for information on how health issues have affected the world over, including an insightful examination of food safety and foodborne illness.

3.

Sodium Azide 101

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is managed by the National Center for Health Marketing, Coordinating Center for Health Information and Service and is based in Atlanta, GA. CDC.gov is a source of credible and reliable health information on many subjects, including emergency preparedness and response. For instance, the site offers a comprehensive study on everything one might want to know about the substance in question, sodium azide.

4.

Another perspective

PETA
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is the largest animal rights organization in the world. PETA focuses its attention on issues that surround the intense and extended suffering of animals. The organization works through public education, cruelty investigations and protest campaigns, to name a few, and is a registered U.S. charitable non-profit organization that independently operates the site. Alisa Mullins posted a comment on the site in response to the incident at Harvard concerning the unethical treatment of mice in the laboratory where the students conducted their experiments. Mullins had more sympathy for the mice than for the students - an interesting take on the situation.

5.

National stats on varsity crime

Security On Campus, Inc.
Security on Campus, Inc. is a non-profit grass roots organization that advocates safety on campus. It was founded in 1987 by Connie and Howard Clery, following the murder of their daughter, Jeanne. The site is an exhaustive resource of crime on campus and raises awareness on the subject. The site allows one to research individual campuses and access information on a variety of criminal offenses and compare this data with that of other universities. It frequently updates the site with news releases and presents the information categorically and chronologically.