Normative and Conceptual Issues in the Regulation of Biotechnology in the Nation's Bays and Estuaries

该项目将确定和分析在水生系统中对重组DNA生物进行管理所涉及的伦理和概念问题。支配水生生态系统的雕像反映了美学、文化和道德价值观，为分析公众对自然环境的关切提供了背景。在这个项目中，首席调查员将检查污染、水质和生物完整性的概念，这些概念是监管框架的核心，与重组DNA生物可能导致海洋环境发生的各种变化有关。描述和分类这种变化的方式，以及评估风险或危害的环境和生态指数的选择，将对重组DNA生物如何受到监管至关重要。该项目包括对相关科学、法规和哲学文献的哲学分析，以及与马里兰大学几个实验室和中心的海洋和河口科学家正在进行的现场互动。此外，首席调查员将参加由生物学家、生态学家、社会科学家、监管机构和学者组成的工作组。小组成员将准备并评论彼此关于在水环境中应用重组DNA生物相关的科学、法规和伦理问题的论文。产品将包括一本书，其中包含跨学科工作组的论文和首席研究员的一系列论文，供在学术和专业期刊上发表。该项目将有助于科学家和公众及其官员了解与环境应用，特别是在海洋和河口环境中应用重组DNA生物有关的伦理和价值问题。由于他们的记录和资源，首席调查员和机构环境特别适合这一项目；工作组成员提供专业知识和从属关系的适当组合，以补充机构赞助者提供的技能。研究的设计是适当的；成本是合理的；结果可能是有用的和广泛分布的。建议提供总额为61668美元的支助。

This project will identify and analyze ethical and conceptual issues involved in the regulation of recombinant DNA organisms in aquatic systems. Statues governing aquatic ecosystems reflect aesthetic, cultural, and moral values, which provide a context for analyzing public concerns for the natural environment. In this project, the principal investigator will examine concepts of pollution, water quality, and biological integrity, which are central to the regulatory framework, in relation to the sorts of changes that recombinant DNA organisms may cause to occur in marine environments. The ways in which such changes are described and classified, and the choice of environmental and ecological indices with which to assess risks or harms, will be crucial to how recombinant DNA organisms are regulated. The project involves philosophical analysis of the relevant scientific, regulatory, and philosophical literatures and on-going, on-site interaction with marine and estuarine scientists at several University of Maryland laboratories and centers. In addition, the principal investigator will participate in a working group of biologists, ecologists, social scientists, regulators and scholars. Group members will prepare and critique each others' papers on scientific, regulatory, and ethical issues associated with application of recombinant DNA organisms in aquatic environments. Products will include a book containing the papers by the interdisciplinary working group and a series of essays by the principal investigator, for publication in scholarly and professional journals. This project will make a valuable contribution to the understanding of scientists and the public and its officials about ethical and value issues associated with environmental applications of recombinant DNA organisms, particularly in marine and estuarine environments. Because of their track record and resources, the principal investigator and institutional environment are uniquely suited for this project; the working group members provide the right mix of expertise and affiliations to complement the skills available from the institutional sponsor. The research design is appropriate; costs are reasonable; and results are likely to be useful and widely distributed. Total support in the amount of $61,668 is recommended.