College of Agriculture 
and School of Medicine 
Biochemistry Department 
UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-COLUMBIA 
M 121 Madical Sc>«ncM Building 
Columbia, Mlaaoufi 66212 
Talaphona (314) 882-6795 
Novanber 25, 1981 
Dr. William Gartland 
Office of Recombinant DMA Activities 
National Institutes of Health 
Betheada, MD 20205 
Dear Dr. Gartland i 
At its meeting on Novanber 12, 1981, the University of Missouri Institu- 
tional Biosafety Coenittee discussed the proposal to change the NIH Guidelines 
to a voluntary code of practice status. 
After some discussion, the IBC reached a consensus that the current prac- 
tice does not impair research activities to a significant degree. Further, it 
was generally felt that the Guidelines had served the useful purpose of raising 
awareness levels to the problem of biological safety in general. This function 
would not be carried out as effectively by a purely voluntary mechanism. As 
new data on the benignity of rDNA procedures became available, further relaxa- 
tion of the Guidelines will undoubtedly occur, but the very existence of a 
cusdiersome procedure makes individual scientists SK>re attuned to issues of 
laboratory safety. 
Several members of the Coamittee also stated that some Investigators still 
will require monitoring in the future, especially as some potentially hazardous 
applications (e.g., cloning toxin genes for vaccine production) are permitted. 
Therefore, keeping present IBC's in operation may be more effective in the long 
run than reestablishing coemiittees to review certain protocols. The Coamittee 
therefore recoenends that the Guidelines be adjusted as necessary, but not 
abolished completely, nor made purely voluntary. 
Sincerely yours 
Francis J. Schmidt 
Assistant Professor 
Chair, University of Missouri IBC 
FJS/cll 
(6211 
