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from NIH to commence. By this means, national standards will govern, 
with local responsibility for oversight and monitoring. I would 
appreciate your views on this extension of the application of the 
Guidelines with delegation of authority to the local IBCs and appropri- 
ate NIH oversight. As noted previously, Appendix D has been substan- 
tially revised to provide far greater guidance to the local institution 
on the evaluation and certification for safe practices and procedures. 
The following, for your consideration, summarizes a number of 
other specific issues that were raised: 
Institutional Biosafety Committees 
• It has been suggested that institutional biohazards committees 
be named "institutional biosafety committees." 
• As noted above, the responsibility of the IBC would be changed 
to mandate an independent evaluation of the containment levels 
for the research as required by the Guidelines. (In my 1976 
Decision on the Guidelines, I stated that NIH should not require 
the local institutions to have their committees perform this 
function, although I did not prohibit them from doing so.) 
• It has been suggested that public membership on the IBC be 
mandated . 
I would welcome the Committee's views on this recommendation. 
Biological Safety Officer 
• There were a number of questions concerning the roles and 
responsibilities of the biological safety officer. It 
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