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Bone of Contention

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Case study [1 minute]

During 1980s cashew growers of Dholakpur

experienced significant fall in cashew yield. In early

90s, scientists discovered a new organochlorine

insecticide [OCI] that had to be sprayed manually to

individual trees. Subsequently, there was an increase

in yield. However, manual spraying was labour

intensive. To save labour costs, later it was sprayed

aerially. Despite a government ban on the OCI, aerial

spraying continued for monetary benefits. A decade

later, incidence of spastic children in cashew growing

villages increased significantly.

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Activity

• Immediately after the aerial spray, which of the

following do you think, occurred?

A] The crop yield increased; children remained healthy

B] The crop yield decreased; children remained healthy

C] The crop yield increased; number of spastic children

increased

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Assessment

• What kind of research did you observe in this

example?

A] Constructive

B] Destructive

C] Both constructive and destructive

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DUAL USE RESEARCH

www.bu.edu/orc/initiatives/durc/

5https://egmnblog.wordpress.com/2012/02/01/dealing-with-h5n1-influenza-dual-use-research/

• Goal: To understand the concept of dual use

research [DUR]

• Learning objectives:

– To define DUR

– To explain DUR with example

– To analyze the benefits/ risks of DUR

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Definition

• DUR is any research whose outcome can be

constructive/ beneficial or destructive/

harmful

• The terminology ‘DUR’ has been re-christened

as ‘Dual use research of concern’

www.bu.edu/orc/initiatives/durc/7

ROLE PLAY [3 MINUTES]

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Narration: Rekha

Scientist: Raghuveer

CEO, Pharmaceutical company: Krishna Kumar

Mothers: Amitha and Ramya

Healthy children: Narahari and Atanu

Crippled child: Rekha

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Group Activity [2 minutes]

• What were your observations? [Group 1 and

3]

• Should such research be continued? Justify

your answers [Group 4 and 6]

• What could have been done to avoid the

disaster? [Group 5 and 7]

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Cashew A, Dholakpur R, Teratology K, et al., Cardamom restaurant: In Hotel TajGateway, 2 May 2015: 1 – 7

Rekha S., Kumar K., Bhatta A., Ramya P., Hari N., Hegde A. and Veer R..Cripplomyelitis- a disaster in Mangalapuram at Cardamon. Teratomyelon., 2015,5: 30-33

REFERENCES