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A CHEMICAL PLANT IS A POTENTIALLY, DANGEROUS PLACE TO 
work. Besides the physical effects of being exposed to 
CORROSIVE.# POISONOUS,# OR OTHERWISE DANGEROUS CHEMICALS, THERE 
IS ALWAYS THE CHANCE OF EXPLOSION, PRESSURE VESSEL FAILURE, 
FIRE, ESCAPING STEAM, AND OTHER CATASTROPHIC ACCIDENTS. 
However, because of awareness of these potential hazards, and 
BECAUSE THE CHEMICAL INDUSTRY HAS LIVED WITH THEM FOR MANY 
YEARS, STANDARD DESIGNS AND OPERATING PROCEDURES HAVE LONG SINCE 
BEEN DEVELOPED FOR HANDLING TOXIC AND CAUSTIC CHEMICALS AND 
FOR AVOIDING CATASTROPHIC ACCIDENTS. (I INCLUDE FERMENTATION 
PROCESSES AS PART OF THE CHEMICAL INDUSTRY.) 
The resulting safety record is a good one, according to the 
National Safety Council. Out of 42 industries covered in its 
MOST RECENT SURVEY, CHEMICALS RANKED FIFTH IN SAFETY, BEHIND 
RELATIVELY NONHAZARDOUS INDUSTRIES SUCH AS COMMUNICATIONS, 
ELECTRONICS, AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURE AND TEXTILES. 
I HAVE ATTEMPTED TO COMPARE THE HAZARDS POSSIBLE IN THE 
OPERATION OF A FEW PETROCHEMICAL PROCESSES, USING ETHYLENE AS THE 
BASIC RAW MATERIAL, WITH POTENTIAL HAZARDS FROM FERMENTATION 
PROCESSES INVOLVING RECOMBINANT DNA, USING THE SAME RAW MATERIALS 
AND FORMING ESSENTIALLY THE SAME PRODUCTS. ALSO, I HAVE COMPARED 
PRECAUTIONS TAKEN DURING STANDARD FERMENTATION OPERATIONS WITH 
THOSE LIKELY TO BE TAKEN IN RUNNING LARGE-SCALE FERMENTATIONS IN 
WHICH RECOMBINANT DNA PROCEDURES ARE INVOLVED IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER. 
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