Not long ago, I took a lengthy health survey for Kaiser’s Research Program on Genes, Environment, and Health (RPGEH). The other day, I got a letter, followed by a packet of legal forms. You see, after you take the survey, they’d really like it if you could give them saliva and possibly blood, so they can have your DNA.
Your genetic code follows your health history as you get older, and they plan on building a huge databank of information over time. Kaiser says that they hope it can lead to cures for diseases — which I’m all for.
What I’m not so excited about is handing over my DNA and having it in a database forever. Even our super-secret government agencies can’t keep data safe, and we’re supposed to expect Kaiser to do so? I dunno about that. Needless to say, my application for “the next step” is still here, awaiting my decision.