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Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
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Dear James Kaufman,

"Science center folks," as you call us, are very good at following all the
ethically and legally required rules of conduct - especially when it 
comes to safety.  You can see plenty of evidence of that on this listserv.
I doubt that any other group does better.  We don't "take the easy way
out." 

Few if any science centers with live animals operate live animal
laboratories, 
in general, so your phraseology is really inappropriate. Any science center

that does operate a research laboratory will certainly want to comply with 
all the applicable regulations.  

Most science centers with live animals have them for young children to pet,
or to display as zoos do.  Sometimes they call part of their operations a
"lab," 
but that is in the sense of a teaching lab, without any research aspect and

there is no reason why they should under the regulatory regime of a
research lab,
any more than zoos or schools must..

We have enough red tape in society without lab safety folks suggesting that
we 
tangle ourselves up unnecessarily, with more.

Sincerely, Peter Anderson

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