Oversight No Federal Activity Updated November 29, 2012
Risks and Benefits in Commercial Production and Distribution
Evaluate current statutory mandates or regulatory requirements for distribution of risks and benefits and consider developing guidance materials and voluntary recommendations to assist manufacturers as appropriate.
Recommendation
Risks to communities and the environment should not be unfairly distributed. Manufacturers and others seeking to use synthetic biology for commercial activities should ensure that risks and potential benefits to communities and the environment are assessed and managed so that the most serious risks, including long-term impacts, are not unfairly or unnecessarily borne by certain individuals, subgroups, or populations. These efforts should also aim to ensure that the important advances that may result from this research reach those individuals and populations who could most benefit from them. As part of the coordinated approach urged in Recommendation 4, the Executive Office of the President should evaluate current statutory mandates or regulatory requirements for distribution of risks and benefits and consider developing guidance materials and voluntary recommendations to assist manufacturers as appropriate.
Activities
Federal
- Executive Office of the President – No activities identified.
Non-Federal
- The Friends of the Earth published Principles for the Oversight of Synthetic Biology in March 2012, a report highlighted concerns regarding the development of synthetic biology and its adverse impacts on global economic and environmental justice.
User Comments and Suggestions
Post Comment or Suggest Addition
