3 
at industrial work sites. Dr. Omenn expressed the hope that the current 
cooperation between NIOSH and industry would continue and not develop into an 
adversary situation. 
NIOSH and EPA are considering joint funding, by contract, of assessments 
of the adequacy of currently used "control technology." The question of what 
is adequate and reasonable medical surveillance is a problem in general in 
occupational medicine. A group at NIOSH working with CDC and outside consultants 
is developing general draft recommendations. They may use recombinant DNA as a 
test case. 
NIOSH is looking at the adequacy of worker education in general, attempting 
to come up with recommendations of reasonable approaches. Dr. Omenn endorsed 
this effort, noti ng that reports in the media may lead to worker anxiety; it is 
good for workers to know what they are working with and not working with. He 
also mentioned the "second-year medical student syndrome" and therefore the 
importance of objective rather than subjective measures of effects. 
Report from EPA 
Dr. Levin reported that two EPA workshops have been held: one on sewage, 
water, and health effects problems at the University of Rhode Island in 
October 1978; and one on escape, containment, and ecological problems at the 
University of California, San Diego, in November, 1980. 
An in-house group is evaluating existing legal and regulatory mechanisms 
available to EPA in regard to the applied genetics industry. Exploratory 
efforts have been initiated to evaluate beneficial uses of the products of this 
industry in reducing existing hazards to the environment. 
[ 494 ] 
