Primer on Bioproducts - BIOCAP Canada

Becoming an InformedCitizen on Bioproducts• Read arguments both for andagainst biotechnology andbioproducts.• Judge information sources(e.g., industry/activist sites, aswell as government reports andpeer reviewed scientificpublications).• Recognize that each bioproductmust be judged on its own risksand benefits. Blanketstatements may be inaccurate.• Consider full life-cycle analysisfrom energy inputs, co-productsproduced and final disposal ofproducts.• Understand the current productproduction system forcomparative purposes (e.g., fulllife-cycle assessment of fossilfuel-based products versusbioproducts).• Consider the probability, notjust the possibility, of risk —“can” and “may” statementsare always possible, butprobability must also beconsidered.• Understand who regulates theuse of bioproducts and how(i.e., role of regulatoryagencies).Organizations involved in the ethical consideration of researchand development that could have an impact on bioproductsinclude the Canadian Biotechnology Advisory Committee(CBAC) — an agency that provides advice to the federalgovernment on ethical, social, economic and regulatory aspects ofbiotechnology — and the International Bioethics Committee ofUNESCO.Many of the ethical considerations facing environmentalbiotechnology research are discussed in a primer for scientistspublished in 2003 by the Ottawa-based Institute on Governance(www.iog.ca). Some ethical questions arising from thedevelopment of bioproducts include balancing precaution againstinaction in the development of technologies (affectinginnovation), establishing a system to determine whether themeans of research and development for bioproducts is morallyjustifiable (with respect to humans, animals and ecosystems), andassessing the potentially conflicting interests and obligations ofbioproducts researchers relative to their funding sources.Technical ConsiderationsWhile many bioproducts have existed for a long time, many moreproducts and the technologies that produce them are beingdeveloped. University and industry researchers continue toexplore the scientific, technological and commercial possibilitiespresented by biological materials. Bioproduct technologies willclearly continue to present new opportunities and challenges forCanadians well into the future.Source:Dr. G. Surgeoner, OntarioAgri-Food Technologies, personalcommunication.56 CHAPTER 6 — UNDERSTANDING THE ISSUES