SUMMARY SHEET 
( ) Draft (x) Final Environmental Impact Statement 
Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Public Health Service, 
National Institutes of Health 
Type of Action : (x) Administrative ( ) Legislative 
Brief Description of Action ; The action is the release of the NIH 
Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant DNA Molecules. 
Summary of Environmental Impacts : The primary impact of issuance 
of the NIH Guidelines is to provide a mechanism for the protection of 
the laboratory worker, the general public, and the environment from 
the possible hazards that might result from NIH-supported experiments 
involving recombinant DNA molecules. These hazards are purely 
speculative at present. Nevertheless, the Guidelines take cognizance 
of the possibility of dangers, and call for a number of measures aimed 
at reducing human and environmental exposure to materials containing 
recombinant DNA molecules. In the view of the NIH, the level of risk 
that will result from research in conformance with the Guidelines is 
acceptably small. With regard to the anticipated benefits of recombinant 
DNA research, adherence to the Guidelines may postpone their realiza- 
tion. Certain experiments are prohibited; many permissible experiments 
will be delayed pending availability of suitable containment facilities 
and certification of appropriate host -vector systems. The text of the 
EIS discusses the Impact of Issuance of NIH Guidelines, including: (1) 
Impact on the Safety of Laboratory Personnel and on the Spread of 
Possibly Hazardous Agents by Infected Laboratory Personnel, (2) 
Impact on the Environmental Spread of Possibly Hazardous Agents, 
(3) Cost Impact, and (4) Secondary Impacts. Also discussed is the 
Impact of Experiments Conducted Under the Guidelines, including: 
0) Possible Undesirable Impacts, and (2) Beneficial Impacts of 
Recombinant DNA Research. 
The Following Alternatives Are Analyzed : (A) No Action, (B) NIH 
Prohibition of Funding of All Experiments with Recombinant DNA, 
(C) Development of Different Guidelines, (D) No Guidelines but NIH 
Consideration of Each Proposed Project on an Individual Basis Before 
Funding, and (E) General Federal Regulation of All Such Research. 
Comments Have Been Requested from the Following : A listing of 
persons and organizations that received the Draft Environmental 
Impact Statement for comment appears herein as Appendix L. The 
commentators are listed alphabetically in Appendix K. Chapter VIII 
contains a detailed response to the comments and explains the 
transition from Draft EIS to Final EIS. 
