approved, they may then be promulgated.] Dr. Stevenson stated that 
there should be a master set of regulations and NIH Guidelines, to 
which all others refer. For example, if the Human Immunodeficiency 
Virus (HIV) were defined as an "etiologic agent," it is unclear how 
will other agencies know unless they read the Federal Register. He 
believed that a coordinating committee would be required to 
accomplish this task. Dr. McKinney stated that the Biotechnology 
Science Coordinating Committee seeks to coordinate all Federal 
regulation of biotechnology. 
Dr. McVicar turned the discussion to Appendix B--Classif ication of 
Microorganisms on the Basis of Hazard, which lists the organisms 
covered in the NIH Guidelines. Mr. Brewer noted that he had been 
informed that the lists had not been reviewed in their totality 
since 1974. Dr. McKinney said that he had received "conflicting 
information" on where various agents fit on the lists. Dr. 
Stevenson added that the lists become outdated at least every four 
years, when the American Society of Microbiology renames and 
reorganizes the categorizations of many organisms. He argued that 
in order to keep the lists up-to-date, a mechanism must be 
established to regularly update the lists. 
Dr. McKinney said that Appendix H offered a broad definition of 
"etiologic agents" that then had to fit into a narrow window when 
shipped. In his view, a problem arises when Appendices B and H are 
compared. Appendix B introduces four classes of etiological agents 
on the basis of hazard. These classes, however, fail to correspond 
with the biosafety levels referred to in Appendix H. 
Dr. McVicar agreed that there was a problem with the 
classifications and biosafety levels for etiologic agents. He 
added that the biosafety levels depends on the work performed 
rather than on the organism itself. For example, the HIV virus is 
classified on three biosafety levels (2, "2.5," and 3), according 
to activity. Historically, the hazard classifications go back to 
the "Classification of Etiologic Agents on the Basis of Hazard," 
published in 1974 by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) that 
listed organisms in three columns for varying levels of containment 
and included agent summaries and statement. Many organisms show 
two or three different biosafety levels according to the activities 
performed. He believed that Appendix B was added because it was 
needed at the time. He questioned whether it was appropriate for 
the lists to remain in the NIH Guidelines, though they should be 
published somewhere. 
Dr. McKinney mentioned that, in the face of public concern. 
Appendix B was the only list available in 1976 for the first RAC 
meeting. It provided a frame of reference for the development of 
containment levels. Appendix G supplemented the classifications of 
Appendix B, thereby allowing for the first time alterations and 
flexibility according to the work performed. However, there is no 
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