11 
The Committee believes that the functions of the Bio-Hazards Re- 
view Committee are essential if the public health and safety is to be 
adequately protected. The Committee requires that these institutional 
review committees review and grant prior approval to all recombinant 
DNA projects to be undertaken by the licensed facility. In order to 
be sure that there is continued maximum opportunity for exchange 
between members of the scientific community, it is required that pub- 
lic notice be provided to all communities in which research is going 
on about each specific recombinant DNA project approved by the 
Institutional Bio-Hazards Review Committee. 
IV. Updating of regulations 
In the Committee’s view, research with recombinant DNA may not 
require the same degree of safety regulation in the future as it does 
at the present. Certain regulatory provisions may need to be tightened, 
certain may need to be loosened. As more becomes known about the 
potential hazards of recombinant DNA research, changes in the safety 
regulation of the activities may need to be made. It is certainly possible 
that as more is known there will be less concern about hazards and 
the need for any special safety regulation may disappear. On the other 
hand, it is also conceivable that the need for more stringent safety 
regulation will become evident. Thus, the Committee believes that 
among the most significant aspect of this legislation is the require- 
ment that the National Commission periodically review the regulations 
governing recombinant DNA activity in order to adjust them to the 
new information that becomes available. It is not the intention of the 
Committee to perpetuate a regulatory apparatus which is not justi- 
fied. The Committee intends to carefully carry out its oversight re- 
sponsibilities to be sure that the continued safety regulation of recom- 
binant DNA activities is necessary to protect the public health and 
environment. 
V. General licensing requirements 
It is the Committee’s intent to require each separate facility to be 
individually licensed. Single institutions which have multiple facilities 
may submit their application on one application form to cover all fa- 
cilities within the institution. The Committee has provided that the 
license application contain a listing of the names, addresses and quali- 
fications of persons authorized to engage in recombinant DNA activi- 
ties, a detailed desci’iption of the proposed recombinant DNA projects 
to be conducted in the facility, a description of the facility and ma- 
terials to be used in connection with recombinant DNA activities, the 
names of persons who own or operate the facility to be licensed, and 
the location of each facility. This information is necessary for the 
licensing and monitoring responsibilities of the National Commission 
to be carried out. 
Because of the uncertainty with regard to the potential hazards of 
this research, the Committee is particularly concerned with the health 
and safety of personnel working in the research facilities. Thus, it is 
reouired that each person receive adequate training related to the 
safety of recombinant DNA activities. 
The Committee notes that many persons who may be involved in 
recombinant DNA activities may not be experienced in microbiological 
containment techniques and may not be accustomed to working with 
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