250 
money? Such a waste. Why should we contribute to enhancing bureaucracy? 
Small universities worry that they would have to hire a special bio-safety 
officer. Could he be one of the voluntary members of the committee? This 
should be clearly spelled out in the Guidelines. 
As recommended in the letter of Dr. Hogness (and many others agree), 
there would be much less bureaucracy if MUAs would be required only for P3 
and P4 experiments. For PI and P2, a simple one-page registration would be 
more than enough. 
A very important problem is denying the benefits to society. There are 
several benefits which have already been realized, especially in the form of 
an increase in knowledge. The benefits are real and the risks are hypothetical. 
It is very hard to explain the situation to students, especially those 
in medical school who see sick people, who see human misery. They ask why 
couldn't we do something to help. We couldn't because the Guidelines and 
regulations do not permit it. It is really a moral question. Students are 
concerned and they are really worried that they cannot help because there are 
rules and regulations. It doesn't make any sense to them. They are young 
people; they don't understand why politics prohibits them from helping society. 
I appeal to you to approve the more relaxed version of the proposed new 
Guidelines as rapidly as possible, because they are so much better than the 
previous ones of 1976. They will take much bureaucratic load off NIH, because 
they exclude things which it does not make any sense to regulate. But we all 
realize that the new Guidelines are still far from perfect, since they: (1) 
regulate nonexistent dangers, (2) hamper beneficial research, and (3) are 
treated as regulations, which was not their intent. The use of the recombinant 
DNA technique in research does not require any Guidelines which de facto 
represent bureaucratic regulations. 
Thank you. 
DR. FREDRICKSON: Thank you, Dr. Szybalski. I think we will move right 
on to the last public witness, because the cafeteria will not change its 
schedule for any of us. 
The last witness is Dr. Arthur Schwartz. 
DR. SCHWARTZ: People have asked for a numerical assessment of the benefits. 
My assessment is that if a number could be calculated it would probably be 
negative. The NIH, host institutions and principal investigators are required 
to ensure maintenance of safety by design and execution of experimental proce- 
dures and various forms of containment. The biohazard committees are likely to 
be determined by the institutions and researchers. This has been our experience 
at the University of Michigan. 
The NIH institutions and researchers are also required to develop and 
promote recombinant DNA technology. A number of agencies with such dual 
charges have failed in their responsibility to protect the public, not only 
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