6 
good practices of some companies can be detailed and put forward as minimal 
standards for protecting workers. Dr. Johnson urged that any standards 
be written in terms of ends rather than means, so that companies can use 
engineering creativity in meeting the objectives. He also said that during 
a period of uncertainty and risk assessment, Lilly and others had prudently 
taken extensive steps, which are probably in excess of those required based on 
today's knowledge. He urged that these not be considered "minimal standards." 
Mr. Mark Chatiqny 
Dr. Omenn next called on Mr. Mark Chatigny, Assistant Director, Naval 
Biosciences Laboratory, School of Public Health, University of California, 
Berkeley. He reviewed his extensive experience in dealing with contamination 
control measures and safety program operating procedures. He said the 
effectiveness of physical containment has been demonstrated in work with 
known pathogens. The NIH Recombinant DNA Guidelines not only dictate 
physical containment, but also biological containment. Compliance with the 
NIH Guidelines is widespread. The Guidelines provide the internationally 
accepted state of the art and appear to adequately protect workers for the 
recombinant DNA systems currently in use. Large-scale growth of recombinant 
DNA organisms uses only fully characterized clones in physically well-contained 
fermentors. Indeed, the growth of such organisms seems much less hazardous than 
the subsequent concentration and purification of such compounds as human growth 
hormone. 
In concluding the first part of the meeting, Dr. Omenn thanked the 
invited representatives and indicated that they would be placed on a mailing 
list to receive these and all future minutes of meetings of this Subcommittee. 
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