72 Jane Street 'S' 
New York N Y 10014 £ 
(212) 675-7173 
Coalition for Responsible Genetic Research 
September 28, 1979 
ADVISORY COUNCIL 
John S Bird M D 
Dr Irwin Bross 
Helen Caldicott M D * 
Dr Liebe Cavalien* 
John C Cobb M D • 
Dr Douglas DeNike 
Dr Key Dismukes* 
W Jack Frumin M D 
Solomon Carb M D * 
Steven Havas M D * 
Dr Ruth Hubbard* 
Dr Marvin Kalkstein* 
J R Kent M D 
Dr Jonathan King* 
Dr Sheldon Knmsky* 
Elliot Linzer* 
Pamela Lippe* 
Joyce Milton 
Lewis Mumford* 
Dr Stuart Newman* 
Christine Oliver M D * 
David Ozonoff M D * 
Dr Barbara Rosenberg* 
David Straton M D * 
Dr Ceorge Wald*. 
Nobel Laureate 
Susanna Waterman* 
Dr loseph Weizenbaum* 
Or Susan Wright* 
'Eiecutive Committee 
__ Dr. Donald Fredrickson, Director 
' National Institutes of Health 
~ Bethesda, Md . 20014 
- Dear Dr. Frederickson : 
’ ~ The Coalition for Responsible Genetic Research requests that 
«' the National Institutes of Health prepare environmental impact 
— statements on the recent proposals of the Recombinant DNA Advis- 
ory Committee (September 6-7, 1979) to exempt some 85% of recom- 
— binant DNA research from government guidelines, to permit ex- 
~ emptions from the 10-liter limit on culture volume, etc. as re- 
-- quired by the National Environmental Policy Act. 
~ The need for environmental impact statements is especially com- 
~ pelling since recent studies under sponsorship of the NIH indi- 
cate that 
1. naked polyoma DNA can cause infection in mice 
2. gene-splice products can cause tumors in mice 
3. recombinant DNA organisms can survive (for 
four days) in the human gut and in sewage. 
MEMBERSHIP 
PARTIAL LISTING 
We cannot afford a biological Three Mile Island accident. Yet 
the ingredients are present: 
Waller Asking) M 0 
David R Brower 
Rev Roger Burgess 
Sir MacFarlane Burnet. 
Nobel Laureate 
Stuart Chase 
Citizens Rights Committee 
Clen C Cobb M D 
Dr C David Elm 
William D Furst M D 
Reverend David A Furuness 
Mariano L Calameva M D 
W B Gamble |r M D 
F M Colomb M D 
Dr Mario A Conzalez 
Harold | Harris M D 
Dr Kenneth l Jackson 
Father Walter T Kelleher 
Hadley Kirkman M D 
Dr Laura Kratz 
Henry D Lauson M O 
Dr Herbert Manning 
Edwin F Matthews Jr 
Edward Miller M D 
Robert Murphy M O 
Maurice L Origenes M D 
Dr Aurelio Peccei 
Henry Pinkerton M D 
Eliot Porter 
Dr Jerome Prager 
Dr Steven Price 
Sister Mary E Reichert 
Abby Rockefeller 
Lewis M Schiffer M D 
Solomon Carb M D 
Membership Secretary 
Franc me R Simnng 
fiecut/ve Director 
— premature expansion of the tecnnology 
0 non-compliance with the law 
0 inadequate assessment of the risks 
8 Lack of objective information to the public 
8 lack of effective public participation in 
— decision-making 
~ It is essential to consider with great caution the legal, sci- 
entific and social ramifications of the RAC proposals (voted 
— for by less than a majority of the committee members). The oppor- 
^ tunity to view the situation with the benefit of foresight is giv- 
— en to us by past experience with the numerous public health and 
~ safety problems of other technologies. 
H We strongly urge that no action be taken on the aforementioned 
- RAC proposals until appropriate environmental impact statements 
~ are prepared and the proposals reconsidered by the RAC in light 
— of those documents. 
