Minimal risk? You are a member of your college’s institutional review board. You must decide whether several research proposals qualify for less rigorous review because they involve only minimal risk to subjects. Federal regulations say that “minimal risk” means the risks are no greater than “those ordinarily encountered in daily life or during the performance of routine physical or psychological examinations or tests.” That’s vague. Which of these do you think qualifies as “minimal risk”?

(a) Draw a drop of blood by pricking a finger in order to measure blood sugar.

(b) Draw blood from the arm for a full set of blood tests.

(c) Insert a tube that remains in the arm so that blood can be drawn regularly.

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