Genetic engineering: A Glasnost Lost
FOR Russians, 'genetic engineering' may soon become a medical Chechnya... to be done away with. Currently, the Russian government is debating over a draft law that would strictly regulate all genetic experiments, from basic research involving recombinant DNA to industrial efforts, in order to engineer transgenic plants and pollutant-eating microbes.
The government is responding to alarm bells sounded by the prominent environmental scientist Alexei Yablokov, chairman, Russian National Security Council's commission on ecological security. Yablokov ardently pleaded with the government, urging the authorities to put stringent checks on genetic engineering experiments, which he said were wreaking havoc on the health of Russians.
Such experiments do more harm to human bodies than even radioactivity, he maintained, claiming he had enough evidence to prove his charges. In 1979, an anthrax outbreak had killed 66 people in Sverdlvok. After prolonged investigation Russian and American scientists concluded last November that the outbreak was caused by a bacteria released from a Russian germ-warfare genetics laboratory.
Safety priorities Yablokov's warnings seem to have left a profound impression on the Russian government. This is reflected in the manner in which the law has been framed. "Public and environmental safety takes priority over any advantage resulting from the use of genetic engineering technologies and organisms," it rules. Now it is mandatory for any Russian institution conducting genetic research to establish a biosafety committee for reviewing genetic research protocols and proposed field experiments. It also proposes to create a national committee on genetic engineering to review dangerous experiments and maintain a register of qualified geneticists. Besides, it plans to come down heavily on those who slip up. The institutions guilty of such hamhandedness would have to reimburse "damage caused to human health and property". However, the details of the penalty are yet to be formulated.