In commending a continued strong involvement of the secretariat in this field, the ACMR 
made the following points: 
1. Public health aspects, rather than detailed technical guidelines for specific research 
projects, should be WHO's chief concern. 
2. The need for adequate training of laboratory personnel in safe handling of microbio logica 
materials was stressed. 
3. Monitoring of the health of laboratory workers is an issue in which WHO may become 
involved, and the secretariat should closely follow national initiatives in this regard. 
Research on the monitoring technology itself will be important. 
4. The strong action for improvement in the safety of shipment of infectious agents was 
warmly endorsed. 
5. WHO documents in the general area of genetic research should avoid the word "engineering" 
which has emotional overtones, and should stress the great contributions which genetics has 
already made and continues to make to human knowledge and medical science. 
6. The collaboration with other organizations interested in the recombinant DNA field was a 
most valuable aspect of the pre-ACMR meeting. Specifically, it may open possibilities of 
strenthening the WHO Secretariat with a full-time staff member seconded from a Member State. 
7. Early publication and wide distribution of the proposed brochure on genetic research was 
recommended . 
8. Special attention should be given to international cooperation in contingency planning 
for emergency situations arising out of laboratory or transport-associated accidents. 
The following recommendations, including a plan of work for 1977/78, arising from the 
pre-ACMR meeting, were endorsed: 
Specific recommendations for a WHO policy on genetic research 
1.1 Research activity in the field of genetics should be encouraged, on account of its 
potential benefits to many areas of medical and agricultural science. However, genetic and 
microbiological research should be carried out with stringent and effective safeguards. 
1.2 Member countries should be fully informed of the wide-ranging potentialities of genetic 
research, particularly with respect to health and nutrition problems of the developing 
countries. 
1.3 Because of the conjectural risks associated with recombinant DNA research, authorities 
should ensure that all appropriate steps are being taken for the protection of research 
workers and the public. 
1.4 National expert committees should be created under the aegis of the appropriate 
authorities. The committees should include geneticists, microbiologists, molecular 
biologists, epidemiologists, ecologists, lawyers and representatives of those responsible for 
research funding and for industrial application. 
1.5 The immediate task of the national committees should be the establishment of registers 
of all research and production activities in genetic modification. 
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