San Francisco Chronicle - Tuesday, December 28, 1993
Bill Workman, Chronicle Peninsula Bureau

The flyers, which criticize the institute's involvement in AIDS research and its allegedly minimal safety standards, began to turn up in recent days on car windshields in Palo Alto business districts and neighborhoods around the facility at 440 Page Mill Road.

Institute officials confirmed yesterday that the vial incident did occur in January 1990. But they said proper measures were taken to dispose of the unopened tube, and they said there had been no threat to public health and safety.

The institute, founded by Nobel laureate Linus Pauling, who advocates use of Vitamin C for fighting colds, heart disease and cancer, has been conducting research since 1988 into the potential use of vitamins in fighting AIDS.

Administrators said the flyer is "malicious" and the work of someone with an apparent grudge against the facility.

Officials said that at first they decided not to comment publicly on the leaflet, hoping that it would soon be forgotten.

However, worried that the source might be a disgruntled former employee who could become violent, administrators sought police assistance last week.

Assistant Police Chief Lynne Johnson said officers have been unable to determine who created the flyer and have no leads.

"At this point, it's not really a criminal situation," Johnson said, "but we decided to investigate because somebody may be trying to instill a level of hysteria and unwarranted fear."

Stephen Maddox, the institute's development director, said the AIDS incident occurred in January 1990, when several ampules filled with deadly HIV were discarded at the laboratory without appropriate safeguards, and one was later discovered in the parking lot.

The incident was not reported to authorities at the time, Maddox said, because health regulations did not require it and because "no damage had been done."

He said researchers thought making the incident public "probably would have caused more panic than was justified."

However, he said an independent audit of the institute's health and safety practices was conducted by a scientist from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who concluded that there had been no leakage of the virus and that the facility had acted properly. An in-house review of the incident two years ago reached a similar conclusion, Maddox said.

Palo Alto authorities did not learn of the errant AIDS tube until laboratory officials requested police assistance because of the flyer. However, Maddox said fire officials have reviewed the situation and agree that the institute took appropriate steps four years ago.

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