Genetic Susceptibility to Environmental Contamination
ISLAT sponsored a limited-invitation workshop on Genetic Susceptibility
to Environmental Contamination. The workshop was attended
by 20 experts in genetics, epidemiology, law, and
ethics. The experts came from major research labs and centers
around the country as well as the United States Environmental Protection
Agency, the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences
and IIT. The group analyzed the latest genetic research about human susceptibility to toxins in the
environment. In addition,
the group reviewed new epidemiology studies about exposure to
toxins, including studies about the pathways through which toxins
penetrate the body and trigger genetic responses to affect the
human body. Importantly, the group heard about current legal,
ethical and social policies related to environmental and human
health protection.
After hearing the state of the art in various disciplines, the
group engaged in creative small group discussions to identify
the major future legal, social and ethical issues that are likely
to arise as scientific knowledge develops and society comes to
grips with understanding and reducing environmentally mediated
diseases. After the small group sessions, the group reconvened
to prioritize scientific, legal and ethical issues, and to suggest
responses to a range of social dilemmas that the new environmental
genetics may spawn. From the resulting discussion, the group
prepared a white paper to guide the application of the Environmental
Genome Project to environmental law and policy.
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