The Use of Genetic Information in the Workplace

• Date: 01 December 2002
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8594.00146
• Published date: 01 December 2002

The Use of Genetic Information

in the Workplace

KENNETH A. KOVACH

In 1990, the Human Genome Project was launched with the

cooperation of two government agencies, the National Insti-

tutes of Health (NIH) and the U.S. Department of Energy

(DOE). This project was originally a $3 billion, 15-year effort to f‌ind

the ‘‘blueprint of human life.’’ It is focused on developing a complete

map of human DNA by mapping each of the human body’s 23

chromosomal pairs, involving nearly 100,000 genes and roughly

three billion chemical sequences. Due to effective resource alloca-

tion and technological advancements, the Human Genome Project

will have f‌inished the complete human genome sequence, as well as

examined and explored other related issues and uses of this in-

formation, by 2003, two years ahead of schedule. New f‌indings

about the human genome are now released almost every month,

and many of these discoveries are conclusively showing links be-

tween certain genetic mutations and human disease.

Although the use of this genetic information may hold promise

for the early diagnosis, treatment, and even prevention of many

human diseases, there is concurrent widespread concern about the

potential for misuse of this genetic information. For example, in

April 1995, a Harris poll of 1,000 adults nationwide found that 86%

of those surveyed indicated they were very concerned or somewhat

concerned that potential employers and insurers might have

access to and use genetic information in deciding whether to hire

or insure someone. In October 1996, a published study showed

that 87% of respondents who were tested and found to be at high

Dr. Kenneth A. Kovach is Professor of Management at George Mason University, Fairfax,

Virginia.

Business and Society Review 107:4 433–455

2002 Center for Business Ethics at Bentley College, Published by Blackwell Publishing, Inc.

350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148, USA, and 108 Cowley Road, Oxford OX4 1JF, UK.

risk for a particular genetic disorder with potential serious com-

plications would not want their employers to know about their

condition, while 83% would not want their insurance company to

know.

1

The reluctance to disclose such information is obviously

related to hiring and insurability issues. Further, in 1997, a

telephone survey of more than 1,000 people found that 63% of

those surveyed would not take genetic tests for diseases if health

insurance companies or employers could get access to the results,

while 85% felt that employers should be prohibited from obtaining

information about an individual’s genetic conditions, risks, and

predispositions.

2

Finally, in a 2000 Time/CNN poll, 75% of those

surveyed said they would not want genetic information revealed

either to their insurance company or to their employer.

3

Although genetic testing is still considered somewhat rare in the

workplace, in 2001 the American Management Association re-

leased a survey that showed that among more than 2,000 employ-

ers, 7% performed genetic testing on employees. However, the

survey also indicated that nearly 16% of employers reported testing

for ‘‘susceptibility to workplace hazards,’’ some of which could be

considered genetic testing.

4

Aetna, CareFirst, Kaiser Permanente,

Cigna, and Mamsi currently offer coverage for some genetic

testing—for prenatal screening and for those with a strong family

history of certain diseases.

5

Without appropriate restrictions in

place, many researchers, advocacy groups, policymakers, and

members of the general public believe that employer abuse of

genetic information could likely grow in the future.

6

WHAT IS GENETIC TESTING?

Genetic information encodes and transmits information between

generations. An individual’s genetic information is encoded in a

complex molecule known as deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA, which

is unique to that individual and in each cell of that person. Each

DNA molecule is packaged in a separate chromosome, while the

entirety of genetic information in all the chromosomes of an

individual constitutes its genome. DNA provides the human body

with instructions for assembling protein molecules in cells, which

in turn serve as building blocks for every biochemical reaction

within the cell. Basically, DNA provides both the molecular

blueprint and instructions for the construction of all of the body’s

434 BUSINESS AND SOCIETY REVIEW