By Wendy Barnaby
Biologists should sign up to a code of conduct rather like the doctors’ Hippocratic Oath, biological weapons experts agreed at a meeting on Wednesday evening. The speakers had no illusions that this would meet the threat of biological terrorism, but they thought it would help show that scientists take the issue seriously, which might increase public trust in their work. “It might also raise awareness of aberrations amongst their colleagues,” said Professor Alan Malcolm, chief executive of the Institute of Biology.
Dr Vivienne Nathanson, of the British Medical Association, argued that biologists ought to regulate themselves before someone else steps in to do it. “Self-regulation would give them control over how it happens,” she said. “Scientists are almost unique in not having regulation,” added Alan Malcolm. “Lawyers, accountants, engineers all have to register with professional bodies and can be struck off if they transgress,” he said.
The experts’ concerns follow the pace of research, which is making new sorts of biological weapons possible. One of these troubling areas is the possibility of targeting such weapons to specific ethnic groups. “Five years ago, eminent scientists said it wouldn’t be possible,” explained Dr Robin Coupland of the International Committee of the Red Cross. “Now, at meetings, everyone just nods their heads in agreement.”
“There has been a massive increase in knowledge in the life sciences, for good and ill, and regulation has not kept up,” said Malcolm Dando, professor of international security at the University of Bradford.
“A code of conduct would be helpful,” agreed Alistair Hay, professor of environmental toxicology at the University of Leeds. “Scientists would benefit from thinking about their work.” “Most people in the life sciences are not aware of efforts to control biological weapons, and not interested,” added Dando.
The idea of a code of conduct is becoming more widespread amongst the international community. “The UK government is chairing meetings being held under the auspices of the Biological Weapons Convention next June in Geneva, that will try to agree on a way forward with respect to a code of conduct,” said Patrick Lamb of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
The meeting was chaired by the BA’s President, Professor Julia Higgins.