Unwilling to wait for the United States to sort out the regulatory muddle, some companies have tested organisms abroad. Angered by a rabies vaccine experiment near Buenos Aires, Argentina recently accused us of engaging in environmental imperialism. The Argentines believe that by conducting these tests on foreign soil, American companies run the risk of a biotechnological Bhopal. Perhaps pressure from overseas will push us along. We can't afford to leave environmental release in limbo forever.
Uncertainty hurts industry and regulators alike.
But the most lasting impact of biotechnology on the food supply may come not from something going wrong, but from everything going right. For every use of biotechnology there is a potential misuse. For every benefit, there is a potential hazard. The challenge is to know when we are about to go too far with the technology and when the drawbacks outweigh the advantages. My biggest fear is not that by accident we will set loose some genetically defective Andromeda strain.