2 
to create microorganisms useful in producing medically important 
substances for the treatment and control of disease. Aside from 
potential medical benefits, a variety of other applications in science 
and technology are envisioned. An example is the large-scale production 
of enzymes for industrial use; and potential benefits in agriculture 
include the enhancement of nitrogen fixation in certain plants and the 
biological control of pests, permitting increased food production. 
There may be risks in this new research area as well as anticipated 
benefits. A potential hazard, for example, is that the foreign BNA 
microorganism may alter the host in unpredictable ways. Should the 
altered microorganism escape from containment, it might infect human 
beings, animals, or plants, causing disease or modifying the environment. 
Until the potential risks are better delineated and evaluated in light 
of developing scientific knowledge, the public should expect such research 
to be conducted under strict conditions ensuring safety. This was the 
fundamental principle that guided the National Institutes of Health and 
the Federal Interagency Committee in their deliberations. That is, the 
desire to allow this significant research to continue while protecting 
humans and the environment from the effects of potential hazards whose 
nature and occurrence is as yet uncertain. I would like 
to review with the Committee the activities of the NIH in developing 
guidelines to govern this research, and then devote the rest of my 
testimony to the work of the Interagency Committee. 
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