Oh, it's so sad Coryallen!
And that child from Chernobyl...poor thing.
Well, for all i know, permanent gene mutations(in a race) like albinism need hundred even thousand years to happen. However mutations in certain individuals(FAS, autism and others) can happen because of stress, radioactivity, illnesses happening during pregnancy but even if the woman is healthy (as you said, errors during meiosis and mitosis).
I don't think think there will be the "mad scientist aspect". They can manipulate genes in one or a group of persons but that doesn't guarantee the continuation of it through generations. Only helpful for survival mutations (or harmless ones) may become permanent to humans. That's at least what Darwin's theory of evolution tells us.
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