| Abstract |
The testimony concerned the work of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in the field of biotechnology that the Environmental Protection Agency may find useful in developing regulations for microorganisms under the Toxic Substances Control Act. The NIOSH activities mentioned included: perspectives on commercial recombinant DNA/biotechnology development, medical surveillance of biotechnology workers, the biotechnology industry, industrial hygiene characterization of commercial applications of genetic engineering and biotechnology, perspectives on opportunities toward a hazard free bioprocessing environment, gypsy-moth control project, occupational biohazards, control technology assessment of enzyme fermentation processes, quantification of airborne endotoxin levels in various occupational environments, and an exposure characterization of a large scale application of a biological insecticide, Bacillus-thuringiensis. The overview concerned the risks to workers during environmental release and indicated that the potential exposure of workers is related to such factors as the mechanisms used for delivery of the microorganisms, the composition of the final product, the size of the area to be treated, the ability of the microorganisms to survive and multiply in the environment, and the quantity of microorganisms released. |
