• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
• /
• v.43 no.1
• /
• pp.1-15
• /
• 2023

As the social and economic value of living modified organisms (LMOs) increase, so do the potential risks they pose to humans and the environment. Therefore, all laboratories using LMOs must establish an LMO laboratory in accordance with the standards required by regulations. Recently, in high school, LMO-related experimental programs have been developed for their educational effects. Also, in this case, it is necessary to comply with the regulation for LMO laboratories. However, high schools are still unfamiliar with the LMO laboratory, and it is difficult for teachers to manage an LMO laboratory because its implementation applies the same standards to general research institutes. In this study, we used causal chain analysis to discover the difficulties each teacher faced while setting up an LMO laboratory by examining three cases. The difficulties experienced by teachers are as follows: the first problem is "reluctance to set up an LMO laboratory," because of "administrative tasks for laboratory registration" and "difficulty in persuading colleagues." The second problem is a difficulty for teachers to operate LMO laboratory in blind spots, due to "inflexible installation and closure," "medical waste disposal," and "LMO education that does not fit the school context." Through this study, although the difficulty of running an LMO laboratory is caused by a lack of necessity and insufficient consideration of the school context, the more fundamental cause was a lack of collaborative planning between the educational field and the operating institutions. The teachers who participate in this research suggest that "using shared LAB" and "preparing opportunities for knowledge sharing" can be considered as strategies for operating the school's LMO laboratory. We feel that this study will provide a useful reference for teachers or schools planning to build an LMO laboratory.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
• /
• v.35 no.1
• /
• pp.5-12
• /
• 2008

The transgenic technologies and their product (living modified organisms) have been developed and commercialized enough to get much attention in terms of their potentials to solve the current global difficulties such as shortage of food and energy. Furthermore, they are expected to make a big role in improving human health levels and creating bio-economy as innovative tools to pursue environmentally sound economic development. However, for the technologies and products to be developed and used in such a way that they continuously give a good impact to human society, first and foremost safety issues surrounding them should be dealt with. Every stage from in-house R&D, pilot field application to on the shelves should be managed to ensure safety following them because many consumers tend to have fear before they get the right or needed information on the modern biotechnology. In this sense, managing research facilities and LMOs for R&D from the point of safety is very crucial in that they are in the early stage of technology or product development. This paper especially deals with those to be complied with by researchers according to the Act on transboundary movement of LMOs, etc, entered into the effect from Jan. 1 2008.

• Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering
• /
• v.21 no.12
• /
• pp.671-677
• /
• 2009

In Korea, since the implementation of the LMO Law, the interest of biosafety level 3(BL3) lab. is increasing. In this study, using CONTAM which is applying multizone modelling, the multizone simulation for design verification of BL3 lab. is performed. In BL3 lab., because required air change rate is greater than general estimated air-conditioning load and it is difficult to maintain room pressure difference efficiently, to maintain pressure difference between laboratory rooms is important through sealing condition of doors and proper airflow control of laboratory rooms. In this study, about BL3 lab,(M. tuberculosis research lab.), the multizone simulation for four kind of biohazard scenarios is carried out in the case of unexpected spread of contaminants in the laboratory room, anteroom, corridor and inside of BSC. Multizone simulation results show that these approach methods are used as a tool for the design and verification of BL3 lab.

• Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering
• /
• v.22 no.11
• /
• pp.745-750
• /
• 2010

Since the implementation of the LMO Law in Korea, the importance of the design qualification of BSL3 lab. is emphasizing. In this study, multizone simulation for three kind of biohazard scenarios using CONTAM is performed for design qualification of BSL3 lab. Also, in the case of unexpected spread of contaminants such as Influenza A virus(H1N1) in BL3 zone, the design qualification is carried out for diffusion and decontamination of contaminants according to differential pressure of BSL3 anteroom and door area of BSL3 lab. Also, in this study, appropriateness of laboratory room differential pressure and air flow rate to maintain pressure difference between laboratory rooms, and energy consumption due to air change rate variation according to door area in BL3 lab. Simulation results show that these approach methods are used as a tool for the design and verification of BL3 lab.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
• /
• v.49 no.3
• /
• pp.163-170
• /
• 2022

There is a continuous rise in the commercialization of living modified (LM) organisms worldwide. While LM plants have not yet been cultivated in South Korea, research, development, import of products, and registration of related research facilities are progressing. LM plants should be tested in greenhouses and fields during development. Furthermore, environmental risk assessment and safety management should be performed before their release into the environment. Research on LM plant development is conducted in laboratories as well as confined greenhouses and fields. Safety management regulations are provided as combination standards for the LMO Act in each research district. The accidental release of the LM petunia in Japan was a significant incident related to LM plant research. It implies that normal plants within the distance of crossing should be regarded as LM plants. In the United States, LM creeping bentgrass was released into the environment, thus necessitating the establishment of stringent measures to prevent the scattering of LM plant seeds by wind or other mediums. In South Korea, LM Zoysia and LM cotton were released through rainwater. Therefore, safety measures that prevent LM seed mixing and plant vegetative propagules escaping into the environment via rainwater must be established. Preventing the dispersal of unapproved LM plants requires significant time, expenditure, and effort. Researchers should first identify the impact of LM plants on the ecosystem, and steps to avert their environmental release must be implemented.

• Food Science and Industry
• /
• v.52 no.2
• /
• pp.153-170
• /
• 2019

With the breathtaking stride beingmade in the field of biotechnology, biocatalyst research using genetically modified microorganism (GMM) is actively being pursued in food industry. However, domestic food and food additive regulation standards and the number of examination management examples currently used in industry is lacking significantly. Up till now, there are only 6 examples of domestic GMM examination and approval cases for food production purposes and furthermore they are limited to the production of functional sweeteners. Domestically, although GMM is developed as a processing aid (contained use), if they are used in the production of food, the safety of GMM, including environmental safety, is evaluated. Also the produced food or food additives using GMM need to be separately examined and approved as a novel food. On the other hand, imported products produced using GMM need to gain approval for the final product only. Thus the expense and the time to obtain regulatory approval is advantageous for imported products versus domestically produced products. This commentary is written to create the opportunity to reform the current domestic food GMM regulation by comparing and discussing domestic and foreign case analyses of safety evaluation of GMM and related regulations.