-5- 
biotechnology are: (1) It Is based largely on renewable resources and thus 
requires less Input of energy than the petroleum-based chemical Industry; (2) 
It will permit the production in pure form of sizeable quantities of certain 
enz>fDes and hormones which have heretofore been available only in minute 
amounts; (3) it may in certain instances permit production of biologically 
active molecules, such as viral vaccines, under safer working conditions than 
are afforded by traditional techniques.^ 
As the commercial applications of biotechnology are pursued, the nunber of 
persons engaged in such work will Increase greatly. These persons will 
include not only professional staff, but also production workers, line 
supervisors, maintenance personnel, and janitors. The Congressional Office of 
Technology Assessment has estimated that by the year 2,000 as many as 80,000 
4 
to 200,000 workers may be employed in biotechnology applications. 
The Centers for Disease Control/National Institute for Occupational Safety and 
Health (CDC/NIOSH) Ad Hoc Working Group on Medical Surveillance for Industrial 
Applications of Biotechnology has considered the role that medical 
surveillance might play in the detection of any disease or dysfunction which 
might result from employment in industries utilizing biotechnologic 
applications. The Working Group recognizes that neither the existence, 
extent, nor severity of any health hazards which may be associated with 
biotechnological applications are known. The Group realizes further that the 
effectiveness of medical surveillance will inevitably be limited by such 
factors as the relatively small size of most groups under study, variability 
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