Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- Chapter 1 The nature of biotechnology
- Chapter 2 Biomass: a biotechnology substrate?
- Chapter 3 Genetics and biotechnology
- Chapter 4 Bioprocess/fermentation technology
- Chapter 5 Enzyme technology
- Chapter 6 Biological fuel generation
- Chapter 7 Environmental biotechnology
- Chapter 8 Plant and forest biotechnology
- Chapter 9 Animal and insect biotechnology
- Chapter 10 Food and beverage biotechnology
- Chapter 11 Biotechnology and medicine
- Chapter 12 Stem cell biotechnology
- Chapter 13 Protection of biotechnological inventions
- Chapter 14 Safety in biotechnology
- Chapter 15 Public perception of biotechnology: genetic engineering – safety, social, moral and ethical considerations
- Chapter 16 Looking to the future
- Glossary
- Further reading
- Index
Chapter 15 - Public perception of biotechnology: genetic engineering – safety, social, moral and ethical considerations
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2012
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- Chapter 1 The nature of biotechnology
- Chapter 2 Biomass: a biotechnology substrate?
- Chapter 3 Genetics and biotechnology
- Chapter 4 Bioprocess/fermentation technology
- Chapter 5 Enzyme technology
- Chapter 6 Biological fuel generation
- Chapter 7 Environmental biotechnology
- Chapter 8 Plant and forest biotechnology
- Chapter 9 Animal and insect biotechnology
- Chapter 10 Food and beverage biotechnology
- Chapter 11 Biotechnology and medicine
- Chapter 12 Stem cell biotechnology
- Chapter 13 Protection of biotechnological inventions
- Chapter 14 Safety in biotechnology
- Chapter 15 Public perception of biotechnology: genetic engineering – safety, social, moral and ethical considerations
- Chapter 16 Looking to the future
- Glossary
- Further reading
- Index
Summary
Introduction
The manner in which the public perceive any new technology, including biotechnology, will have important influences on the timing and direction of innovation, and in the rate of uptake or degree of discrimination against the technology, its products and services. Public perception will also be influenced by geographical location, which will reflect several variables, for example, economic affluence, level of education, cultural and religious values and tradition, together with social and institutional ways of participation.
In the industrialised world public policy-makers on biotechnology have been influenced by the concerted interests of governments, industries, academia and environmental groups. Nationally and internationally such policies are being developed within a climate of tension and conflicting aims.
At the early stages of recombinant DNA research, a small group of well recognised molecular biologists met in the early 1970s to express their concern over the safety of this new technology. In a well publicised meeting, the famous (or infamous) Asilomar Conference, in California, they focused on the potential, but highly speculative, risks associated with recombinant DNA (rDNA) technology and how they should be managed. Unfortunately, this generated huge public concern arising from the alarmist media coverage, e.g. Frankenstein foods, Andromeda strains, etc. Following on from this conference and the continued huge media hype, the National Institute of Health (NIH) in the USA published Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant DNA Molecules, which sent out a powerful message to the scientific community and federal government departments that the NIH were seriously concerned about the speculative risk scenarios.
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- Information
- Biotechnology , pp. 232 - 244Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2009