No one disputes that the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory campus that's coming to Richmond will generate jobs and tax revenues.

But concerns persist about the work that will be done there, especially in synthetic biology, and the risks posed to the surrounding community.

That was among the topics at a news conference and public forum in Berkeley on Wednesday, touted as the first gathering in the area of local, national and international speakers to address concerns about synthetic biology, an emerging science that implants genetic material into cells to produce fuels and other industrial products.

Titled "Bay Area Biotech Labs Bring Unforeseen Risks," the panel presentation at the Center for Genetics and Society featured five prominent critics of synthetic biology.

The national lab, which selected Richmond for its next site thanks in part to broad support among Richmond city leaders, is not all that it appears, said panelist Gopal Dayaneni, co-director of the Movement Generation Justice and Ecology Project.

"What we're experiencing (with LBNL) is a wolf in sheep's clothing," Dayaneni said. "Actually, a wolf genetically engineered to look like a sheep."

Dayaneni, like the other panelists, said the lab enjoys the "shiny veneer" of legitimacy lent by UC Berkeley but is actually a secretive, poorly regulated merger of public and private interests that will be operating on the scientific fringes with potentially

"(Synthetic biology) is genetic engineering on steroids," said Jim Thomas of the ETC Group, a watchdog organization that monitors emerging technologies. "It's a $1.6 billion industry, and the Bay Area is absolutely the heart of that. ... A key institution is the new Richmond lab."

Panelists called for safeguards to bar "human applications" of synthetic biology, a more robust regulatory structure and better protections for workers.

Becky McLain, a molecular biologist who won a 2010 lawsuit against her former employer, pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, said the safety risks that may face workers in Richmond will be even more volatile than those she encountered in an embryonic stem cell lab. A federal jury awarded McLain $1.37 million in damages after she was exposed to a genetically engineered virus that caused her recurring paralysis and other illnesses.

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Critics raise safety concerns with biotech labs at Berkeley forum