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R Introduction of Recombinant ecombinant DNA (R-ONA) techniques offer exciting opportunities for the development of products in medicine, industry, agriculture, and environmental DNA-Engineered Organisms management (National Research Council, 1984; Olson, 1986). Vaccines are being made safer and produced more rapidly than ever before. Plants are being engineered to into the Environment: resist bacteria and viruses and to produce compounds that are toxic to pests. Bacteria are being modified to protect crops from frost damage and disease, to break down toxic pollutants, to increase the ability of plants to fix atmospheric nitrogen, and to Key Issues aid in the recovery of metals from ores. To capture the benefits of these and similar developments, however, R-ONA engineered organisms must be tested and used outside the laboratory. a procedure known as the "deliberate release" or "planned introduction" of genetically engineered organisms into the environment (Halvorson et al., 1985). As with any intervention in the environment, there may be risks associated with the introduction of certain R-ONA engineered organisms. There is a perception, howevet; that R-ONA techniques represent a means of alteration so distinct from other approaches that they will yield organisms that have completely unexpected and possibly deleterious properties out side the laboratory. This perception, along with experiences with certain previous introductions, has fueled public and sci entific controversy. The result has been the formulation of regu lations more stringent for organisms engineered with R-ONA techniques than for those produced with conventional genetic procedures (Office of Science and Technology Policy, 1986).
9 This paper examines carefully the issues surrounding the has developed procedures for examining and assessing the introduction of R-ONA-engineered organisms into the environ safety of proposed experiments and has published extensive ment. Broadly construed, the term "genetic engineering" guidelines on the conditions under which various types of encompasses selective breeding, mutagenesis, and fusion of experiments should be done (NIH, 1986). The NIH guidelines, protoplasts, in addition to R-DNA techniques. Although our however, were originally formulated exclusively for the labora focus is on the latter; an appreciation of the relationship tory use of R-DNA and do not extend to the introduction of between R-DNA techniques and traditional genetic methods is R-ONA-engineered organisms into the environment. essential to the discussion. Therefore we begin with a brief To proceed prudently with environmental introductions of overview of traditional selection and breeding techniques in R-ONA-engineered organisms, it is essential to add an ecologi agriculture. We then consider the concerns voiced most often cal perspective to their evaluation (Gillett et a!., 1986). In this about organisms engineered with R-DNA and try to distinguish paper; we identify the properties of the organisms, the source the issues that merit serious attention from those that are not and target environments, and the issues of scale and frequency substantial. of introductions that must be considered if the environmental Adequate scientific knowledge exists to guide the safe and risks are to be minimized and their benefits maximized. prudent use of R-ONA-engineered organisms in the environ ment and to identify the most problematic introductions, but caution is always necessary in environmental management. A considerable body of experience has been accumulated in the genetic manipulation of plants, animals, and microorganisms and in the problems associated with the introduction of such organisms into ecosystems other than those from which they were taken. R-DNA techniques have been in use for more than 15 years in hundreds of laboratories around the world (Watson and Tooze, 1981). During this time, thousands of different organisms have been modified and their characteristics stud ied. Furthermore, substantial experience has been gained in the oversight of R-DNA experimentation. The Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee of the National Institutes of Health (NIH)
