ETHICAL ASPECTS OF GENETIC PREDISPOSITION TO ENVIRONMENTALLY-RELATED DISEASE

Some individuals are highly susceptible to disease caused by chemical exposures and this hypersusceptibility can be genetically determined. Because biomarker technology for the determination of genetic predispo sition is at the disposal of researchers, the capability therefore exi sts to include genetic screening in epidemiologic studies. The applica tion of this technological advance in population-based research is, ho wever, fraught with ethical tensions heretofore unknown. Moral duties alone are of limited use in resolving these problems. Scientific docum entation is almost always insufficient to clarify the exact nature of the ethical implications, and ways to deal with uncertainties arising as a result of information generated from genetic screening studies mu st be considered. The most important tensions relate to autonomy and t he right to privacy, fairness and equality, while balancing potential public interest in paternalistic measures. Because no moral framework has been accepted for dealing with this technological advance, an ethi cal discourse in an open forum is required with all affected parties. Scientists alone, or any other group in isolation, should not expect t o resolve these questions, but they should participate in and facilita te the process.