Even as Boston University’s Level 4 Biosafety Laboratory is set for constructions, opponents are increasing the pressure to keep the biolab out of Boston.

Biosafety Level 4 Laboratories deal with the world’s most dangerous chemicals and infectious diseases including Anthrax, smallpox and the Ebola virus, according to Rona Hirschberg, senior program officer at the National Institute of Allergens and Infectious Diseases.

There are four BSL-4 labs operating in the United State, but BU’s, which has started construction in Roxbury, will be the first located in such a densely-populated area.

The construction of the biosafety lab has drawn criticism from residents who fear the lab would be a prime target for a terrorist attack. However, Council for Responsible Genetics President Sujatha Byravan said she is surprised at the number of Boston citizens — especially BU students — who are unaware of the lab’s impact on the community.

She said one of her organization’s main goals is to inform as many people as possible of the lab’s negative consequences.

“We are opposed to the BU lab for a number of reasons,” Byravan said. “[We have] concerns about the way in which BU has gone along with it, concerns about the construction … and the lack of transparency.”

Byravan said her group is part of a diverse coalition that opposes the lab, including City Councilors Chuck Turner (Dorchester, Roxbury) and Charley Yancey (Dorchester, Mattapan), other organizations and members of the BU faculty.

Jack Kowalski, head of press and media for Councilor-At-Large Sam Yoon, said Yoon was “vocal and unwavering in his opposition [to the lab because] the process was not transparent enough for the community to feel safe.”

Yet, while many area citizens oppose the biolab, others embrace the research that will come from the lab.

Ellen Berlin, the director of corporate communications at the BU Medical Center, said she understands the concerns some have but thinks that once people obtain more information, they will support the construction.

“The purpose of the lab is to study infectious diseases, find cures and save lives,” Berlin said. “It is important for public health, and public health is one of the most important things we can do.”

Berlin said the lab — which was awarded by a Department of Homeland Security grant in 2003 — underwent an extensive approval process which included 240 community meetings to educate the public about the benefits and drawbacks of the lab. The facility will be built over a 30-month period, which began in March, and will be owned, managed and operated by the university.

Hirschberg said that within the lab, the world’s premier scientists will focus primarily on finding treatments for the effects of biological weapons and cures for epidemics such as SARS and bird flu.

The most noticeable presence of the lab’s opposition on BU’s campus came in April when protesters from the community activist group Operation Over organized a “die-in” in Marsh Plaza. The protesters said they opposed the lab’s construction, citing rumors that the anthrax used in 2001 postal attacks was leaked from the Department of Defense Biosafety Level-4 Laboratory in Frederick, Md.

Berlin refuted this claim, saying in the “[Biolabs’] 80 years of combined operation … there has never been an environmental release or community instance.”

Hirschberg said the idea that anthrax was smuggled out of Maryland is an unsubstantiated rumor, and the true source of the anthrax was never discovered.

Both Hirschberg and Berlin sought to dispel the commonly held concern that the lab will develop and perform tests on biological weapons. Hirschberg vehemently denied the claim and said the purpose of the lab is “defense against bioterrorism,” but no biological weapons will ever be tested.

“There will be no weapons or secret research. Neither of these [accusations] is true,” Berlin said. “It is important that people know the facts … All research will be approved by a committee including local representatives.”

Acknowledging the residents’ apprehension towards the lab, Hirschberg described the laboratory’s countless precautions and safety features. According to Hirschberg, only 10 to 15 percent of the new building will be a Biosafety Level-4 Laboratory, and the section will be situated deep within the facility.

Access will be limited to a limited number of people — mostly scientists — and will require ID cards, as well as fingerprint and iris confirmation, Hirschberg added.

Hirschberg said no substances or people will be allowed to leave the building without first being decontaminated. Air will pass through filters removing all bacteria, leaving the air cleaner than when it originally entered the building. Additionally, all liquids and other waste will not leave the building until purified.

Hirschberg that there are numerous backup filters in the rare case that one malfunctions.

Hirschberg, reiterating there has never been an accidental leak or mishap in a Biosafety Level-4 Laboratory, said she thinks the new lab will be even safer than existing labs because BU’s is being built with the latest technology.

Scientists, also, possess newer, more advanced safety information than they did when the existing labs were built 10 to 30 years ago, he added.

“The threat to the neighborhood and community is miniscule,” Hirschberg said, “Even if there was an accident in the lab, nothing could get out … It is totally reasonable that people are concerned, but everything has been done that is possible to ensure safety.”

The lab has also been criticized for its placement in the heart of one of Boston’s poorest neighborhoods, an assessment that City Councilor John Tobin (Jamaica Plain, West Roxbury) — a biolab advocate — called inaccurate.

According to Tobin, the lab will be in an existing “biosquare” that is already home to BU biological facilities. Tobin said the university’s robust biomedical reputation is one of the reasons he is certain the lab will be safe.

“Am I going to support something that endangers my friends and family?” Tobine asked. “No, [the lab] will be safe. BU has a reputation as a leader.”

He also acknowledged the lab is a tremendous opportunity for Boston — a city with the reputation for being on the cutting edge of medicine and technology.

“Boston owns the brand on history,” he said. “We have to own the brand on jobs. Boston has always been on the forefront … whether it was fishing, industry, education, life sciences.”

In addition to the opportunity to “cure these deadly diseases,” Tobin said he supports the job opportunities the lab’s construction will bring to the people of local communities.

According to Berlin, the finished laboratory will create 660 new jobs, with 150 of these going to scientists and administration. The other jobs will include positions in security, environmental services and lab work. In addition, 1,300 construction jobs will be available during the 30-month building process — jobs that are increasingly important as the Big Dig winds down.

“Other cities were salivating for this opportunity,” Tobin said.