Wed Dec 4, 2013, 11:06 AM
proverbialwisdom (4,959 posts)
UPI: China rejects 60,000 tons of GM corn from the US.http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php/news/archive/2013/15196-china-rejects-60-000-tons-of-gm-corn-from-the-us
China rejects 60,000 tons of GM corn from the US on 01 December 2013. Syngenta's insect-resistant MIR162 corn is not approved for import into China http://www.upi.com/Business_News/2013/11/29/China-rejects-60000-tons-of-genetically-modified-US-corn/UPI-62341385749613/
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47 replies, 6508 views
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Author | Time | Post |
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proverbialwisdom | Dec 2013 | OP |
RC | Dec 2013 | #1 | |
KurtNYC | Dec 2013 | #5 | |
RC | Dec 2013 | #6 | |
KurtNYC | Dec 2013 | #12 | |
pnwmom | Dec 2013 | #18 | |
KurtNYC | Dec 2013 | #19 | |
pnwmom | Dec 2013 | #20 | |
KurtNYC | Dec 2013 | #29 | |
pnwmom | Dec 2013 | #30 | |
KurtNYC | Dec 2013 | #34 | |
pnwmom | Dec 2013 | #35 | |
pnwmom | Dec 2013 | #32 | |
proverbialwisdom | Dec 2013 | #38 | |
NickB79 | Dec 2013 | #23 | |
KurtNYC | Dec 2013 | #31 | |
proverbialwisdom | Dec 2013 | #10 | |
proverbialwisdom | Dec 2013 | #11 | |
KurtNYC | Dec 2013 | #13 | |
proverbialwisdom | Dec 2013 | #15 | |
KurtNYC | Dec 2013 | #21 | |
proverbialwisdom | Dec 2013 | #24 | |
KurtNYC | Dec 2013 | #33 | |
proverbialwisdom | Dec 2013 | #40 | |
proverbialwisdom | Dec 2013 | #41 | |
KurtNYC | Dec 2013 | #43 | |
proverbialwisdom | Dec 2013 | #44 | |
proverbialwisdom | Dec 2013 | #42 | |
proverbialwisdom | Dec 2013 | #25 | |
proverbialwisdom | Dec 2013 | #47 | |
proverbialwisdom | Dec 2013 | #27 | |
CoffeeCat | Dec 2013 | #2 | |
Generic Other | Dec 2013 | #3 | |
Laelth | Dec 2013 | #4 | |
HereSince1628 | Dec 2013 | #36 | |
Dreamer Tatum | Dec 2013 | #7 | |
joeybee12 | Dec 2013 | #8 | |
freshwest | Dec 2013 | #9 | |
MineralMan | Dec 2013 | #16 | |
woo me with science | Dec 2013 | #14 | |
Javaman | Dec 2013 | #17 | |
dionysus | Dec 2013 | #22 | |
11 Bravo | Dec 2013 | #26 | |
proverbialwisdom | Dec 2013 | #28 | |
Berlum | Dec 2013 | #37 | |
proverbialwisdom | Dec 2013 | #39 | |
proverbialwisdom | Dec 2013 | #45 | |
proverbialwisdom | Dec 2013 | #46 |
Response to proverbialwisdom (Original post)
Wed Dec 4, 2013, 11:14 AM
RC (25,592 posts)
1. We need more rejections like this.
It they can't sell it, maybe they will stop growing it.
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Response to RC (Reply #1)
Wed Dec 4, 2013, 01:41 PM
KurtNYC (14,549 posts)
5. GM corn is the basis of 40% of the calories in the American diet
All the animal feed -- beef, pork, chicken -- all of the soft drinks, packaged baked goods, ketchup, cookies, on and on for the last 15 years have been GM based.
China is pushing back on the USA for various trade war issues and for the current air space conflict. This has nothing to do with whether the corn is safe. |
Response to KurtNYC (Reply #5)
Wed Dec 4, 2013, 02:26 PM
RC (25,592 posts)
6. Oh yes it is about whether GM corn is safe.
It is all about the safety of GM foods.
Most of the rest of the world has problems with Monsanto's GM, Frankinfoods. And all the stuff that corn and corn products are used in, backups why other countries are concerned about the effects of GM food stuff. That is in no way means Monsanto's GM foods is safe, just because it is used for any and everything. |
Response to RC (Reply #6)
Wed Dec 4, 2013, 05:55 PM
KurtNYC (14,549 posts)
12. the corn in question was GM'd by Syngenta AG - a Swiss company
Switzerland is in "the rest of the world" and Syngenta is a competitor of Monsanto, not a subsidiary.
The EU allows importation of GM foods from the USA but they don't allow the seed in because they are protectionist (eg they protect EU-based entities like Syngenta). The key word in the OP article is "approved." China allows importation of GM foods which they have approved. This Swiss corn has not yet been approved. (Once the payment to party officials clears, the corn will make it to the "approved" list no doubt). And again, we are eating GM food in the US as the MAJORITY of our intake. 95% of everything that says "corn" "canola" or "soy" on the label is GM and has been for well over a decade. If GM is really unsafe shouldn't we see some evidence of that now? The best argument against GM food is that it may rely even more heavily on pesticides and herbicides than other conventionally grown crops. The risks associated with heavy use of pesticides and herbicides are borne by farmers and farm employees but I almost never hear any concern for them in these discussions. |
Response to KurtNYC (Reply #12)
Thu Dec 5, 2013, 01:36 PM
pnwmom (104,526 posts)
18. How would we see evidence for a particular cause of disease,
given the vast number of exposures to environmental toxins every American faces on a daily basis?
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Response to pnwmom (Reply #18)
Thu Dec 5, 2013, 02:09 PM
KurtNYC (14,549 posts)
19. Food is ingested so not an environmental toxin per se and ingestion varies from one person to the
next even within one household where it could be assumed that everyone is exposed to the same environmental toxins.
Many health issues have been tied to diet. The Harvard Nurse Study grinds out data year after year and has found all kinds of links which may have been obscure in smaller samples. The nurses in the study report what they eat (among many other things) and that data can be bumped against any and all physical symptoms like allergies, weight gain, heart disease, cholesterol levels. For example they figured out that drinking diet soda leads to weight gain through multivariate analysis. But something like allergic reaction, birth defects or an endemic condition would be much more obvious and easier to pin down. The CDC is designed to pin point the cause of outbreaks (for example e coli) and if you had a large outbreak of allergic reactions when a new food is introduced they would investigate as they did for the Jack in the Box incident and many others since then. |
Response to KurtNYC (Reply #19)
Thu Dec 5, 2013, 02:18 PM
pnwmom (104,526 posts)
20. So? Food we ingest and environmental exposures could and do combine
to affect our health, and it can be very difficult to tease out specific causes and effects.
Also, the Harvard Nurse's study relies on people reporting what they ate. When people don't know that they ingested GMO products, they can't be studied that way. That's one of the arguments for labeling. |
Response to pnwmom (Reply #20)
Thu Dec 5, 2013, 06:07 PM
KurtNYC (14,549 posts)
29. GM food is labelled now -- if it says HFCS, corn, canola or soy it is
95% likely to be GM (for HFCS 100%).
HNS relies on nurses reporting what they eat and since GM food is in all of the above items it most certainly is part of what over 100,000 nurses who participate in the studies are eating. If 80,000 nurses report drinking 2 cans of soft drinks every day then we KNOW they have ingested GM corn. Multivariate analysis of the data can and has teased out correlations between exposures to environmental factors, smoking, food intake, etc and various cancers and other conditions. A brief table of some is included here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nurses%27_Health_Study |
Response to KurtNYC (Reply #29)
Thu Dec 5, 2013, 06:12 PM
pnwmom (104,526 posts)
30. There is currently no Federal or state requirement that all GM food be labeled.
High fructose corn syrup (or canola or soy) isn't the only GM product that is or could be marketed.
We just saw a defeat of a labeling initiative in WA state where 99% of the anti-labeling money came from out-of-state corporations. They are completely unwilling to label. If all they had to do was add a GM label to a label that already said HFCS, then it shouldn't be a problem, should it? |
Response to pnwmom (Reply #30)
Thu Dec 5, 2013, 06:43 PM
KurtNYC (14,549 posts)
34. yet there are laws that require the labelling of foods which contain peanuts,
alcohol, caffeine, nicotine, red dye #5, and some artificial sweeteners because these additives have been shown to cause problems for some people.
The first step is to establish through peer reviewed studies that there is an identifiable risk associated with GM foods. |
Response to KurtNYC (Reply #34)
Thu Dec 5, 2013, 06:55 PM
pnwmom (104,526 posts)
35. Exactly. How can they justify not labeling GM foods when so many other
ingredients are labeled?
The problem is that the FDA during the Reagan years decreed that henceforth no such safety studies would be required for its approvals of GM foods. And without labeling, after-market problems of GM foods cannot be determined either. http://www.biointegrity.org/FDADeception.htm |
Response to KurtNYC (Reply #29)
Thu Dec 5, 2013, 06:23 PM
pnwmom (104,526 posts)
32. And we know that formula fed babies ingest GM corn
Last edited Thu Dec 5, 2013, 09:16 PM - Edit history (1) and that they tend to weigh more than breastfed babies, and we know that there is a growing problem of childhood obesity. How do we know there isn't a connection?
http://thedoulaguide.blogspot.com/2013/04/infant-formulas-loaded-with-corn-syrup.html |
Response to pnwmom (Reply #32)
Thu Dec 5, 2013, 08:40 PM
proverbialwisdom (4,959 posts)
38. Ding, ding, ding. nt
Response to RC (Reply #6)
Thu Dec 5, 2013, 03:50 PM
NickB79 (15,592 posts)
23. This rejection is NOT about safety
Because for that to be true, you'd have to argue that they give a flying fuck about the safety of the food their people eat, the water their people drink, or the air their people breathe.
No one in their right mind would make that argument. And BTW, China is looking at GM crops in a big way: http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1325450/china-must-switch-growing-gm-food-its-too-late-scientist |
Response to NickB79 (Reply #23)
Thu Dec 5, 2013, 06:23 PM
KurtNYC (14,549 posts)
31. China does care about the health and safety of their people
They execute public officials who compromise such things:
http://articles.latimes.com/2007/jul/11/world/fg-execute11 But I agree THIS rejection is not about safety, more likely, given the timing, it is about Biden's visit and the air space dispute. China regularly uses trade war tactics to get leverage in other areas. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/12/03/biden-china-air-zone/3843023/ Many things the Chinese government does are unusual by our standards but they have to do with leveraging their power to their own interests. Yesterday they sort of threatened MicroSoft with increased piracy of its software if it doesn't extend support for XP: http://redmondmag.com/articles/2013/12/04/pirated-windows-8.aspx |
Response to KurtNYC (Reply #5)
Wed Dec 4, 2013, 03:14 PM
proverbialwisdom (4,959 posts)
10. Miss this?
http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php/news/archive/2013/14922-china-destroys-three-shipments-of-gm-corn-from-us
China destroys three shipments of GM corn from US on 22 May 2013. 1. Wanzai Port in Zhuhai City destroyed two shipments of imported GM foods 2. Harbin intercepted a total of 115 kgs of GM corn seeds, which will be destroyed NOTE: The news items below report that in May, the Chinese government destroyed three shipments of GM corn from the US. The shipments were illegal under China’s GMO biosafety law. The law says that the Ministry of Agriculture must require environmental and food safety tests to be carried out by Chinese institutions, in order to verify data provided by the seed developer. All these documents must be reviewed by the National Biosafety Committee before the MOA can issue a safety certificate. http://bit.ly/10jvwaa Yet these shipments of US corn did not have the relevant safety certificates and approval documents, according to the news reports below. A Chinese citizen, whom we call Mr Li, calls the new government’s decisive move to destroy the illegal GMOs “progressive, encouraging, and satisfying”. He regards it as a sign that it is keeping its promise to work for the people and the nation. Mr Li said: “The deeply pro-GMO old government would not have made such a thing public. It would have secretly returned the shipments, or in most cases it would not even have inspected shipments that could contain GM ingredients.” The Ministry of Agriculture of the previous government raised the anger of citizens when it failed to require any independent experiments to test the safety of Monsanto's GM soybeans, in violation of Chinese law: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/micro-reading/dzh/2012-06-12/content_6157498.html (bilingual article over 3 pages) However, Mr Li says the new government still has a long way to go to eliminate the GMOs that he and others believe are being grown across the country and to impose a ban on domestically grown and imported GMOs. The news of the new Chinese government’s actions comes shortly after China told a delegation of Brazilian soy producers that the better-off part of its population wants non-GM soy, even if they have to pay more:
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Response to KurtNYC (Reply #5)
Wed Dec 4, 2013, 03:33 PM
proverbialwisdom (4,959 posts)
11. More.
http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php/news/archive/2012/14430-do-as-i-say-not-as-i-do
Do as I say, not as I do Natural Products, 8 November 2012 ...In China – the Special Food Supply Center supplies China’s political elite with organic, strictly non-GM food including hormone- and antibiotic-free meat. However, recent government incentives have led to 40% annual organic market growth in the past 5 years, so there is a trickle down effect http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php/news/archive/2013/15096-interview-with-dr-thierry-vrain-gmo-whistleblower
Interview with Dr Thierry Vrain, GMO whistleblower on 03 October 2013. Interesting interview with a man who changed his mind on GMO but who, unlike Mark Lynas, a GMO convert who went the other way, understands the science. http://commonground.ca/2013/10/dr-thierry-vrain-gmo-whistleblower/ For additional related articles, see GMWATCH (news aggregator) site search for CHINA: http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php/search?searchword=china&searchphrase=all http://www.nature.com/news/china-sacks-officials-over-golden-rice-controversy-1.11998 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/09/17/223382375/golden-rice-study-violated-ethical-rules-tufts-says http://news.sciencemag.org/people-events/2012/12/chinese-researchers-punished-role-gm-rice-study http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php/news/archive/2013/14855-china-conference-warns-against-gm-foods |
Response to proverbialwisdom (Reply #11)
Wed Dec 4, 2013, 06:44 PM
KurtNYC (14,549 posts)
13. Glyphosate gets used on lots of crops, not just GMs
so the issues with glyphosate are independent of any other issues that GM crops may have. Almost all organic foods test positive for pesticides, they are usually at lower levels than conventionals but not always:
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/science-sushi/2012/09/24/pesticides-food-fears/ The biggest experiment on GM foods is all of us eating them for the last 15 to 20 years. Millions of people eating trillions of calories from GMO foods. Shouldn't we be seeing something -- premature deaths, allergies, symptoms of poisoning, birth defects -- if these foods are unsafe for consumption? To be clear, I am not 100% certain that EVERY permutation of GM crops are safe in every way (to grow, to eat, to use for bio fuels) but I am not seeing evidence of a major problem and many of the people who are the most scared have very little understanding of agriculture or genetics. Theirry points out the anti-biotic resistant genes (?) floating in China's rivers but that is a nebulous data point. Most of DNA in our bodies is not human -- it is bacterial. If you take a lot of anti-biotics then much of what is left in your body will likely show resistance to anti-biotics but that has nothing to do with GMO. |
Response to KurtNYC (Reply #13)
Thu Dec 5, 2013, 01:25 PM
proverbialwisdom (4,959 posts)
15. So much misdirection/information, so little time; we're not hearing what experts are seeing. WHY?
http://www.elle.com/news/culture/gmo-food-debate
Let's Discuss (Again): The GMO Food Debate ELLE, August 9 2013 Because the issue of the safety of genetic modified food is such a deeply contentious one, when ELLE published Caitlin Shetterly’s story "Bad Seed," we expected that some might object that it unfairly maligned GMOs. And Jon Entine, the author of Scared to Death: How Chemophobia Threatens Public Health, has done that in Slate. In our piece, Shetterly recounts how she and her allergist came to believe that genetically altered corn was the probable cause of the debilitating, allergic illness that afflicted her, one marked by a profusion of a kind of white blood cells called eosinophils. Her point of view was clear, but at the same time she—and ELLE—were committed to airing both sides of the GMO debate. Entine, however, ignored passages in the piece that didn’t fit his thesis that so-called “lifestyle magazines” like ELLE “credulously stoke conspiratorial fears” about GMOs. For example, Shetterly included the perspective of Amal Assa’ad, MD, a professor at the University of Cincinnati medical school, who dismisses Shetterly’s anxiety over GMO’s safety “as almost magical thinking.” The story continues: “What’s wrong with chemicals?” [Assa’ad] asked. “We’re so afraid of chemicals because they are man-made, right? A lot of chemicals have helped us—a lot of medications are chemicals.” If anything, GMO foods have been a boon to mankind, Assa’ad said. GMO seeds “produce better crops that have increased production, that are resistant to pesticides—crops that can feed the rest of the world.” Entine also communicated with Shetterly’s sources, some of whom took issue with how their opinions were portrayed. After reviewing the work of Shetterly and ELLE’s fact-checker, who examined the transcripts of interviews with each source and/or confirmed their statements via email or by phone—we stand by our story. <> In the course of reporting the piece, Shetterly spoke with a number of researchers and medical professionals who told her they couldn’t go on the record about their doubts about GMOs because they feared being sued by a biotech or agriculture company, or losing grant money provided by the private sector. Von Tiehl, who also told Entine that ELLE’s article wrongly suggested that he thinks “there is something scary or obviously wrong or concerning about GMO foods”, was one of those who worried about his legal exposure. <> Here is an excerpt from the taped, transcribed interview between Shetterly and von Tiehl: CS: Do you read labels and see all those hidden places where GMO corn is like xanthan gum, citric acid, ascorbic acid, natural flavorings? [GMO corn is used to make all those substances.] Would you not buy those things? <> MORE: http://gmwatch.org/index.php/news/archive/2013/14956-elle-hits-back-at-entine-over-bad-seed http://gmwatch.org/index.php/news/archive/2013/14800 http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1231&pid=2255 http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/04/27/970849/-What-do-you-know-about-Food-Disparagement-Laws#
WED APR 27, 2011 AT 07:01 PM PDT What do you know about Food Disparagement Laws? byBill Tchakirides <> Senator Patrick Leahy (D – Vermont) made this statement in the late ’90s concerning this situation: "Some states permit lawsuits against those who question the safety of our food supply. It is my view that under the First Amendment, Americans possess the right to raise safety and health concerns about the foods we eat, such as the levels of mercury in our fish or the levels of pesticides in imported foods. State laws that permit lawsuits against those who question the safety of foods can have a chilling effect on public health discourse. That is not the American way –healthy debate on issues of public concern is how this country does business. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/abc-news-sued-pink-slime-370126
ABC News Sued for $1.2 Billion Over Report on 'Pink Slime' 10:48 AM PDT 9/13/2012 by Eriq Gardner Beef manufacturer claims defamation in March report that led to consumer uprising against a processed beef product. ABC has been hit with a $1.2 billion lawsuit over "pink slime." Beef Products Inc., a South Dakota-based boneless-lean-beef giant, has sued the network as well as news anchor Diane Sawyer and several correspondents for news reports that allegedly have caused the company harm. Until March, much of the ground beef in supermarkets, many restaurants and school lunches used a meat product some have called "pink slime," which includes the use of fillers and trimmings, plus ammonia to kill bacteria. Then, ABC featured it, leading to a big consumer backlash <...> The lawsuit also targets Gerald Zirnstein, the USDA microbiologist who came up with the term "pink slime" and gave an interview to ABC. <...> RELATED VIDEO: http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/pink-slime-15873068 http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/pink-slime-factory-inside-16034255 |
Response to proverbialwisdom (Reply #15)
Thu Dec 5, 2013, 02:27 PM
KurtNYC (14,549 posts)
21. Misdirection indeed. What does pink slime and journalistic lawsuits have to do with
the lack of evidence both anecdotal and peer-reviewed, that despite hundreds of millions of people ingesting billions of pounds of GMO food no health effects can be documented?
We are 20 years into GMO yet Life expectancy continues to rise: http://www.worldclimatereport.com/index.php/2011/03/17/us-life-expectancy-at-all-time-high/ And the incidence of cancers in general is steady with some (lung and prostate) in decline. Colon cancer is generally associated with diet. Colon cancer is down slightly since the switch to GMO foods around 1994: http://www.co.benton.or.us/health/health_status/chronic_disease04.php |
Response to KurtNYC (Reply #21)
Thu Dec 5, 2013, 04:39 PM
proverbialwisdom (4,959 posts)
24. Unreported evidence both anecdotal and peer-reviewed does exist suggesting problems with gmos.
Last edited Thu Dec 5, 2013, 10:33 PM - Edit history (1) Food disparagement laws appear to be inhibiting experts from speaking out in the media, however,
Let's Discuss (Again): The GMO Food Debate
...In the course of reporting the piece, Shetterly spoke with a number of researchers and medical professionals who told her they couldn’t go on the record about their doubts about GMOs because they feared being sued by a biotech or agriculture company, or losing grant money provided by the private sector. as in the recent case of "pink slime" where a scientist was sued along with the media outlet for $1.2 billion. ABC News Sued for $1.2 Billion Over Report on 'Pink Slime'
...The lawsuit also targets Gerald Zirnstein, the USDA microbiologist who came up with the term "pink slime" and gave an interview to ABC. LINKS ABOVE. Pink slime story illustrates food disparagement law application. I am in no way suggesting the substance is a gmo. |
Response to proverbialwisdom (Reply #24)
Thu Dec 5, 2013, 06:32 PM
KurtNYC (14,549 posts)
33. If you have any peer reviewed studies I will look them over
Other countries have studied GM crops. They don't have to worry about losing grant money if they came to the wrong conclusions.
I can't buy that the lack of evidence is evidence (of a massive worldwide conspiracy). If a scientist or doctor knows that there is an issue with GM foods and doesn't say so because they are afraid of losing grant money or being sued then they are unethical and cowardly. If there is hard evidence against GM foods then those with the evidence should jump at the chance to get sued and prove their case to the world. |
Response to KurtNYC (Reply #33)
Thu Dec 5, 2013, 10:28 PM
proverbialwisdom (4,959 posts)
40. It's disingenuous to ignore history.
http://www.gmwatch.org/latest-listing/1-news-items/11801-pusztai-to-receive-stuttgart-peace-prize
Dr Pusztai on the 10th anniversary of GM safety scandal The following is an email - of 10 August 2008 from Dr Pusztai to Claire Robinson and Jonathan Matthews of GMWatch, in which Dr Pusztai comments on the 10th anniversary of the television interview. Dear Claire and Jonathan, http://www.gmwatch.org/latest-listing/1-news-items/11801-pusztai-to-receive-stuttgart-peace-prize
Pustzai to Receive Stuttgart Peace Prize We've just heard that Dr Arpad Pusztai and Dr Susan Bardocz will be presented with this year's Stuttgart Peace Prize. The award is for their tireless advocacy for independent risk research. Both have made an essential contribution to a broader understanding of the dangers of genetic manipulation. The award also honours their courage and scientific integrity as well as their undaunted insistence on the public's right to know. The award will take place on 18 December with a Film and Book launch at 4 pm and a Peace Gala at 7:30 pm, at the Theaterhaus Stuttgart. More details (in German) here: http://www.gentechnikfreies-europa.eu/ Below is a profile of Dr Pusztai and how he changed the GM debate. http://www.spinprofiles.org/index.php/Arpad_Pusztai Effect of diets containing genetically modified potatoes expressing Galanthus nivalis lectin on rat small intestine
Dr Stanley WB Ewen FRCPath, Arpad Pusztai PhD The Lancet - 16 October 1999 ( Vol. 354, Issue 9187, Pages 1353-1354 ) DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(98)05860-7 http://www.gmwatch.eu/latest-listing/1-news-items/12567-scientists-under-attack-film-review
Scientists under attack: Genetic engineering in the magnetic field of money By Bertram Verhaag Review by Claire Robinson Denkmal-Film GmbH 2009 Available in English, German, or French versions WORLDSALES: Tel +44 20 7221 7221 Email [email protected] for one-off screeners for academic purposes. As yet there is no official distributor for public consumption and the film has not yet been released in the UK. Billed as "a political thriller on GMOs and freedom of speech", this film by the German film-maker Bertram Verhaag tells the stories of two scientists, Dr Arpad Pusztai and Dr Ignacio Chapela, whose research showed negative findings on GM foods and crops. Both suffered the fate of those who challenge the powerful vested interests that dominate agribusiness and scientific research. They were vilified and intimidated, attempts were made to suppress and discredit their research, and their careers were derailed. Pusztai found that the internal organs of rats fed GM insecticidal potatoes either increased in size or did not develop properly compared with controls. His experiments turned up no less than 36 significant differences between GM-fed and non-GM-fed animals. Pusztai, encouraged by his research institute, gave a 150-second interview on British TV in which he summarised his findings and said it was unfair to use our fellow citizens as guinea pigs for GM foods. For two days, Pusztai was treated as a hero by his institute. But following a phone call from UK prime minister Tony Blair to the institute's head, Pusztai was fired and gagged under threat of a lawsuit. His research team was disbanded and his data were confiscated. Lies were circulated about his research that he could not counter due to the gagging order, lifted only later when he was due to appear before a Parliamentary Committee. For Pusztai’s co-researchers, the gagging order remains in place for life. Pusztai's results threatened the GM industry because they showed that it wasn't the insecticide engineered into the potatoes that damaged the rats, but the genetic engineering process itself. So the problem wasn't just with these GM potatoes but potentially with all GM foods on the market. The only solution for the industry and its friends in government was to shoot the messenger. Traumatic though this was for Pusztai, it wasn't the biggest shock he had to face regarding GM foods. That came when he was asked to review safety submissions from the GM industry for crops we were already eating and found that they were scientifically flimsy. "That was a turning point in my life," said Pusztai. "I was doing safety studies; they were doing as little as possible [in terms of safety testing] to get their foods on the market as quickly as they could." Another scientist whose run-in with the GM industry is featured in the film is Ignacio Chapela, a molecular geneticist at UC Berkeley. His research, co-authored with David Quist and published in the journal Nature, revealed that Mexican maize had been contaminated with GM genes. The finding was explosive because Mexico is the centre of origin for maize and the planting of GM maize there was illegal. Chapela found himself the target of a vicious internet campaign condemning him as more of an activist than a scientist and claiming that his paper was false. Nature's editor published a partial retraction of the paper. As Chapela points out in the film, the editor's action flew in the face of scientific method. In the normal way of things, a journal editor publishes a study that he and peer reviewers judge to be sound. It is for subsequent published studies to confirm or correct the findings. It is not for the editor to state that he would not have published a study had he known then what he knows now without the benefit of further peer reviewed scientific input. The editor's move showed how the GM industry is rewriting the rules of science for its own ends. To add insult to injury, the internet campaign against Chapela turned out not to have been initiated and fuelled not by his scientific peers but by fake citizens, "sockpuppets" invented by the Bivings Group, a public relations firm contracted by Monsanto. Scientists Under Attack goes on to show how the GM industry has blocked the evolution of scientific knowledge. When Russian scientist Irina Ermakova's study found high mortality rates and low body weight in rats fed GM soy, and when Austrian government research found that decreased fertility in mice fed GM maize, the industry carried out its usual campaign of vilification. If the industry were interested in scientific truth, it would push for studies to be repeated with the alleged "flaws" corrected. But this never happens. Instead, GM companies use their patent-based ownership of GM crops to deny scientists access to research materials the GM crop and the non-GM parent line control. So the original research showing problems with GM crops is buried under a deluge of smears and follow up studies are not done. For the public, the difficulty and expense involved in accessing full research papers makes it hard to find where the truth lies. <> UCB has dealt harshly with critics of its deals with industry. In 2003, five years after Chapela's protest against the Novartis deal and two years after publication of his Mexican maize findings, he was denied tenure. The university only backed down after Chapela threatened to sue. In Scientists Under Attack, he says: "In genetic engineering, one question means one career. You ask one question, you get the answer. You might or might not be able to publish it. That's the end of your career. What's unique in my case is that I survived." Chapela adds that the most powerful censorship does not come directly from the GM industry but from closer to home: "It's in the consciousness of the scientist. You censor yourself." In other words, it's not so much that the GM industry has taken away our power, but rather that we've given it away. <> RELATED: http://democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=544398 Link: DO SEED COMPANIES CONTROL GM CROP RESEARCH? Scientific American, Editorial, August 2009 edition, published 21 July 2009 Link: GM industry's strong-arm tactics with researchers - Nature Biotechnology Monday, 12 October 2009 16:25 |
Response to KurtNYC (Reply #33)
Thu Dec 5, 2013, 10:31 PM
proverbialwisdom (4,959 posts)
41. Check it out (includes peer-reviewed studies as citations).
Last edited Fri Dec 6, 2013, 07:39 PM - Edit history (2) http://www.organicconsumers.org/documents/AMA-GE-resolutions-3-19-12.pdf
March 19, 2012 TO: AMA Council on Science and Public Health FROM: Michael Hansen, Ph.D., Senior Scientist, Consumer Reports RE: Resolutions 508 (Illinois) and 509 (Indiana) Supporting Federal Legislation and/or Regulations that Require Clearly Labeling Food with Genetically Engineered Ingredients SUMMARY: Based on the scientific uncertainty surrounding both the molecular characterization of genetically engineered (GE) crops as well as the detection of potential allergenicity, there is more than enough uncertainty to decide to require labeling of foods produced via GE as a risk management measure as a way to identify unintended health effects that may occur post approval. If foods are not labeled as to GE status, it would be very difficult to even identify an unexpected health effect resulting from a GE food. Dear Council Members: I am writing to submit scientific evidence which strongly supports the intent of Resolutions 508 and 509 Supporting Federal Legislation and/or Regulations that Require Clearly Labeling Food with Genetically Engineered Ingredients. Consumer Union1 supports mandatory labeling for foods produced with genetically engineered (GE) ingredients for a number of reasons. <> |
Response to proverbialwisdom (Reply #41)
Fri Dec 6, 2013, 10:19 AM
KurtNYC (14,549 posts)
43. That paper simply advocates the labeling of GE foods, it isn't a peer reviewed study
It essentially advocates that foods be considered unsafe until proven otherwise. Then it takes a huge leap and compares GM foods to Vioxx (?!)
Then it takes the position that labeling GM foods is essentially the same as what gets done for religious groups who self-impose dietary restrictions. That actually seems closer to the mark but that isn't about safety. That is about self-imposing dietary restrictions with the goal of feeling morally superior to those who don't. Page 7 - in a paragraph headlined "GE plant materials are finding their way into the human body" they find only pesticide residue, not "GE plant materials" in a kind of bait and switch. Pesticides are not unique to GM crops (unfortunately). Cry1ab has been used since 1938. It specifically targets lepidoptera (caterpillars). It has gone through the regulatory process in at least 9 countries plus all of the EU. Cry1ab was studied in peer reviewed studies for its effect on non-target organisms by Romeis et al . 2006, Marvier et al 2007, Naranjo 2009, Wolfenbarger et al. 2008, Duan et al . 2008, 2010. And all of these results were studied in meta analysis. Further, others studied the movement of the transgene to sexual compatible relatives (of the GM corn): Maize freely hybridizes with wild teosintes, but gene introgression is thought to be limited (OECD 2003, Serratos et al . 1995, Baltazar et al . 2005). Wild teosinte populations are limited to Mexico, Guatemala and a single population in Nicaragua and while teosinte is considered a serious weed by some farmers in Mexico, it is treated as a beneficial by others (Serratos et al . 1995).
http://cera-gmc.org/docs/cera_publications/cry1ab_en.pdf So there are 9 peer-reviewed studies just on Cry1ab. Your paper cites Vazquez-Padron, R.I., More no-Fierros, et al., one of the studies done in Mexico. The paper these researchers published contains this conclusion: "The use of Bt-based products is increasing because they are safe to the environment and to vertebrate organisms. " And it's final conclusion is anything but damning of Cry1 proteins (bolding added): Transgenic plants containing high concentrations of Cry1A proteins have been commercialized for food production (8). Although it is known that these proteins are safe for animals and man, the high immunogenicity of Cry1A proteins administered ig should be taken into account before releasing Cry-containing products for human use. On the other hand, the present data support the idea that pCry1Ac may be used as a carrier to introduce vaccinal epitopes either parenterally or locally into the mucosal tissues. Cry proteins might therefore represent a valuable tool in mucosal immunity studies, particularly on the dynamics of intestinal IgG production and its role in the intestinal immune protection against infectious pathogens.
http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?pid=S0100-879X2000000200002&script=sci_arttext There is a lot to sort through. Dr. Michael Hansen's testimony leads me to this study which I have yet to look through: http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf802059w?journalCode=jafcau I take this issue seriously. I grow biodynamic organics but like most people I eat a lot of GM foods. I have done my own studies on heirlooms, organics, irrigation, native american agricultural practices and hybrids. There seem to be some well-meaning people who have concerns about GMO foods and I am open to those concerns but I am still looking for something definitive amid all the myths and spin. The foods we eat include pesticide residue and much baby food contains arsenic, but the presence of these things is not the threshold we should be looking at (because even organic contain pesticide residues) but rather the amounts. There is only so much fear that the public can generate and we should try to keep that fear aligned with things that we need to be cautious about. Biology is a tough subject for most of us and the mechanics of GM foods are on the more complicated end of the range. I will continue to listen to responsible experts in the field but I am put off by the vast numbers of scared lay people repeating things they don't understand and using vague ambiguous terms like "frankenfood" and "plant materials." |
Response to KurtNYC (Reply #43)
Fri Dec 6, 2013, 10:25 AM
proverbialwisdom (4,959 posts)
44. Focus on post #40, please, especially 'Dr Pusztai on the 10th anniversary of GM safety scandal.'
That's my bottom line.
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Response to KurtNYC (Reply #33)
Fri Dec 6, 2013, 09:59 AM
proverbialwisdom (4,959 posts)
42. Not a conspiracy, just business; see FOOD & WATER WATCH REPORT on Wikileaks cables.
http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/reports/biotech-ambassadors/
May 14th, 2013 U.S. Version – Biotech Ambassadors: How the U.S. State Department Promotes the Seed Industry’s Global Agenda Read the Full Report Agricultural development is essential for the developing world to foster sustainable economies, enhance food security to combat global hunger and increase resiliency to climate change. Addressing these challenges will require diverse strategies that emphasize sustainable, productive approaches that are directed by countries in the developing world. But in the past decade, the United States has aggressively pursued foreign policies in food and agriculture that benefit the largest seed companies. The U.S. State Department has launched a concerted strategy to promote agricultural biotechnology, often over the opposition of the public and governments, to the near exclusion of other more sustainable, more appropriate agricultural policy alternatives. The U.S. State Department has also lobbied foreign governments to adopt pro-agricultural biotechnology policies and laws, operated a rigorous public relations campaign to improve the image of biotechnology and challenged commonsense biotechnology safeguards and rules — even including opposing laws requiring the labeling of genetically engineered (GE) foods. Food & Water Watch closely examined five years of State Department diplomatic cables from 2005 to 2009 to provide the first comprehensive analysis of the strategy, tactics and U.S. foreign policy objectives to foist pro-agricultural biotechnology policies worldwide. Read the full report to learn more. DOWNLOAD THE PDF More: http://www.democracynow.org/2010/12/23/wikileaks_cables_reveal_us_sought_to http://archive.truthout.org/wikileaks-us-ambassador-planned-retaliation-against-france-over-ban-monsanto-corn66131 http://www.democracynow.org/2013/4/2/the_monsanto_protection_act_a_debate http://www.democracynow.org/2013/4/2/foodopoly_the_battle_over_the_future |
Response to KurtNYC (Reply #21)
proverbialwisdom This message was self-deleted by its author.
Response to KurtNYC (Reply #13)
proverbialwisdom This message was self-deleted by its author.
Response to KurtNYC (Reply #5)
Thu Dec 5, 2013, 05:24 PM
proverbialwisdom (4,959 posts)
27. Business Section NYT: 'The Epi-Pen's Maker Invests in Expansion As Allergy Rates in Children Rise'
EXCERPT: A study last year in the journal Pediatrics found that about one in 13 children had a food allergy, and nearly 40 percent of those with allergies had severe reactions.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/08/business/mylan-invests-in-epipen-as-child-allergies-increase.html?pagewanted=all
September 7, 2012 Tiny Lifesaver for a Growing Worry By KATIE THOMAS It has become an all-too-familiar story in schools across the country: a child eats a peanut or is stung by a bee and suffers an immediate, life-threatening allergic reaction known as anaphylaxis. If parents and school authorities know about the allergy and a doctor’s prescription is on file, a nurse can quickly give an injection of epinephrine, saving the child’s life. But school nurses in many districts face an agonizing choice if a child without a prescription develops a sudden reaction to an undiagnosed allergy. Should they inject epinephrine and risk losing their nursing license for dispensing it without a prescription, or call 911 and pray the paramedics arrive in time? After a 7-year-old girl died in January in a similar case in Virginia, the state passed a law that allows any child who needs an emergency shot to get one. Beginning this month, every school district in Virginia is required to keep epinephrine injectors on hand for use in an emergency. Illinois, Georgia and Maryland have passed similar laws, and school nurses are pushing for one in Ohio. A lobbying effort backed by Mylan, which markets the most commonly used injector, the EpiPen, made by Pfizer, led to the introduction last year of a federal bill that would encourage states to pass such laws. Mylan has also lobbied state legislatures around the country directly and is passing out free EpiPens this fall to any qualifying school that wants them. “When a child is having an anaphylactic reaction, the only thing that can save her life is epinephrine,” said Maria L. Acebal, the chief executive of the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network. “911 doesn’t get there fast enough.” The efforts are an acknowledgment of the rising rates of food allergies among children and a handful of deaths from allergies across the country. In many schools, children carry their own epinephrine injectors in their backpacks to use themselves, if they’re old enough, or the devices are stored on their behalf in nurses’ offices. <...> [font style=color:blue]Although no one knows exactly why, the rate of food allergies among children appears to be on the rise.[/font] One survey found that in 2008, one in 70 children was allergic to peanuts, compared with one in 250 in 1997. “I don’t think it’s overdiagnosis,” said Dr. Scott H. Sicherer, the author of the report and a researcher at the Jaffe Food Allergy Institute at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Manhattan. “There really seems to be a difference.” A study last year in the journal Pediatrics found that about one in 13 children had a food allergy, and nearly 40 percent of those with allergies had severe reactions. A recent survey in Massachusetts, where schools are permitted to administer epinephrine to any student, found that one-quarter of students who had to be given the drug for a reaction did not know they had an allergy. But in many schools, employees are not allowed to use epinephrine injectors on children who do not have a prescription. <...> http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024028801
President Obama signs new law to put EpiPens in more Schools (pic) November 13, 2013 [img] ![]() POTUS signs new law to put EpiPens in more schools keeping children w/ asthma & allergies safe in the classroom More: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2013/11/13/president-obama-signs-new-epipen-law-protect-children-asthma-and-severe-allergies-an Link to video of the signing: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-204_162-57612201/food-allergy-epinephrine-bill-reaches-obamas-desk/ |
Response to proverbialwisdom (Original post)
Wed Dec 4, 2013, 11:17 AM
CoffeeCat (24,411 posts)
2. A country that allows lead in toys, rejects GMO corn?
Wow, look how far gone the United States is. Here we've got China, a country that is known for their lax regulations on food and other products, rejecting GMO corn.
We are ingesting crap, that a country with some of the worst food/safety/product regulations on the planet, is rejecting. I'd like to know why they reject it. It's my understanding that Monsanto won't allow testing on its GMO corn. Researchers and scientists who have tried to do so, have been threatened with lawsuits. So, on what grounds do they reject it? Do they know something that we don't? They must! |
Response to proverbialwisdom (Original post)
Wed Dec 4, 2013, 11:37 AM
Generic Other (27,997 posts)
3. So now we need to reject that shit
Make it into gasoline. Keep off my dinner plate!
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Response to proverbialwisdom (Original post)
Wed Dec 4, 2013, 12:44 PM
Laelth (32,009 posts)
4. This is one of the key reasons we're pushing the TPP.
Big Ag does not want other countries to have the authority to reject U.S. agricultural commodities for reasons like this.
Not to say that I favor the TPP, but actions like this are what's driving Big Ag to push for it. -Laelth |
Response to Laelth (Reply #4)
Thu Dec 5, 2013, 07:18 PM
HereSince1628 (36,063 posts)
36. TPP was my first thought... n/t
Response to proverbialwisdom (Original post)
Wed Dec 4, 2013, 02:35 PM
Dreamer Tatum (10,925 posts)
7. Guess there wasn't enough melamine in it nt
Response to proverbialwisdom (Original post)
Wed Dec 4, 2013, 02:38 PM
joeybee12 (56,177 posts)
8. Wow, the country that sends us killer dog food has stricter measures
over than we do about genetically modified food.
|
Response to proverbialwisdom (Original post)
Wed Dec 4, 2013, 02:55 PM
freshwest (53,661 posts)
9. WTF? 'feeding damage caused by moths, butterflies, and other lepidopteran insects'
They act as pollinators. While corn is mainly wind pollinated, a butterfly never hurt a corn crop in the history of agriculture. And people wonder why the Monarch butterfly is going extinct.
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Response to freshwest (Reply #9)
Thu Dec 5, 2013, 01:31 PM
MineralMan (137,374 posts)
16. Uh, one of the most destructive corn insect pests is a moth.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Corn_Borer
Go learn about it. Adult moths and butterflies don't eat corn plants, but their caterpillars do. In fact, many corn pests are moth larvae: http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/pests/plant_pests/veg_fruit/hgic2205.html Go learn about them. I'm not arguing for GM corn. I'm pointing out some facts about lepidoptera and corn farming. |
Response to proverbialwisdom (Original post)
Wed Dec 4, 2013, 09:40 PM
woo me with science (32,139 posts)
14. K&R
Response to proverbialwisdom (Original post)
Thu Dec 5, 2013, 01:34 PM
Javaman (56,930 posts)
17. Meh, China grows their own GM crops...
this sounds less like a rejection of gm crops than and more like an issue with imports.
just google, China GM crops and you will get dozens of hits. One in particular showed the year on year growth of GM crops in china. http://www.gmo-compass.org/eng/agri_biotechnology/gmo_planting/142.countries_growing_gmos.html http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/811884.shtml http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2013/10/23/china-pushes-genetically-modified-food-draft/ |
Response to proverbialwisdom (Original post)
Thu Dec 5, 2013, 02:49 PM
dionysus (26,467 posts)
22. what, it didn't have enough lead or melamine in it for their liking?
Response to proverbialwisdom (Original post)
Thu Dec 5, 2013, 04:54 PM
11 Bravo (21,549 posts)
26. "Beijing's quality watchdog" is now a reputable source? Fuck me with a rusty rake!
Although perhaps I should be thankful that they have taken a hiatus from trying to kill our pets.
|
Response to 11 Bravo (Reply #26)
Thu Dec 5, 2013, 05:43 PM
proverbialwisdom (4,959 posts)
28. Here's a reputable source.
Best and saddest expert analysis I have encountered on GMOs ever and not a word since. Please see http:/articles.chicagotribune.com/2000-09-03/xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx-NEW-PROTEINS. New proteins = potential allergens.
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2000-09-03/news/0009030374_1_genetically-modified-new-proteins
"Genetically Altered Foods: We Are Being Exposed to One of the Largest Uncontrolled Experiments in History" Martha Herbert Chicago Tribune September 3, 2000 BOSTON - Today the vast majority of foods in supermarkets contain genetically modified substances whose effects on our health are unknown. As a medical doctor, I can assure you that no one in the medical profession would attempt to perform experiments on human subjects without their consent. Such conduct is illegal and unethical. Yet manufacturers of genetically altered foods are exposing us to one of the largest uncontrolled experiments in modern history. In less than five years these companies have flooded the marketplace with thousands of untested and unlabeled products containing foreign genetic material. These genetically modified foods pose several very real dangers because they have been engineered to create novel proteins that retard spoilage, produce their own pesticides against insects, or allow plants to tolerate larger and larger doses of weed killers. Despite claims that these food products are based on "sound science," in truth, neither manufacturers nor the government has studied the effects of these genetically altered organisms or their new proteins on people-especially babies, the elderly, and the sick. Can these products be toxic? Can they cause immune system problems? Can they damage an infant's developing nervous system? We need answers to these questions, and until then genetically altered ingredients should be removed from the food we eat. As a pediatric neurologist, I especially worry about the safety of modified foods when it comes to children. We know that the human immune system, for example, is not fully developed in infants. Consequently, pediatricians have long been concerned about early introduction of new proteins into the immature gut and developing body of small children. Infants with colic are often switched to soy formula. Yet we have no information on how they might be affected by drinking genetically engineered soy, even though this product may be their sole or major source of nutrition for months. Because these foods are unlabeled, most parents feed their babies genetically altered formula whether they want to or not. Even proteins that are normally part of the human diet may, when introduced too early, lead to auto-immune and hypersensitivity or "allergic" reactions later. Some studies suggest that the epidemic increase in asthma (it has doubled since 1980) may have links to early dietary exposures. The behavior problems of many children with autism and attention disorders get worse when they are exposed to certain foods. Yet as more unlabeled and untested genetically engineered foods enter the market, there is no one monitoring how the millions of people with immune system vulnerability are reacting to them and the novel proteins and fragments of viruses they can contain. In fact, without labeling, there is no possible way to track such health effects. This is not sound science, and it is not sound public health. <> More at link. |
Response to proverbialwisdom (Original post)
Thu Dec 5, 2013, 07:51 PM
Berlum (7,044 posts)
37. More Big GMO, Inc (R) occultism
Trying to occultly sneak their mutant food like products into the global gut.
Corporate occultism is vile and indecent. |
Response to Berlum (Reply #37)
Thu Dec 5, 2013, 08:57 PM
proverbialwisdom (4,959 posts)
39. Nah, just typical corporate maneuvering under the guise of altruistic and humanitarian motives.
http://thinkprogress.org/election/2012/09/14/850321/romney-monsanto/?mobile=nc
Romney And Bain Boosted Agriculture Giant Monsanto In Spite Of Toxic Past By Aviva Shen on Sep 14, 2012 at 11:37 am Biotechnology firm Monsanto Company, which currently owns most of the patents for America’s staple crops, is already cozy with American lawmakers. A new Nation report, however, indicates that “a very old friend in a very high place” may usher in the corporation’s most prosperous years yet. The Nation’s investigative report ( http://www.thenation.com/article/169885/mitt-romney-monsanto-man# ) has uncovered how Mitt Romney personally helped Monsanto shed its string of toxic chemical-related scandals and reinvent itself to dominate American agriculture. Monsanto, an early Bain & Company client, was so impressed with Romney that they started bypassing his superiors to deal with him directly. Romney’s close relationship with then CEO John Hanley prompted his boss to create Bain Capital to keep Romney from leaving and taking their largest consulting client with him. From 1977 to 1985, Romney helped navigate Monsanto through very rocky waters. The agribusiness was flooded with lawsuits after Congress banned the toxic coolant PCBs, a Monsanto product that has been linked to cancer and neurological disorders. At the same time, Monsanto’s Agent Orange toxin, used to defoliate jungles in the Vietnam War, was linked to the contamination of millions of Vietnamese and American soldiers and had been dubbed “the largest chemical warfare operation” in human history. Tom Philpott at Mother Jones dug up a 2002 article ( http://www.motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2012/09/romney-monsanto-bain ) describing Monsanto’s attempts to hide its toxic waste disposal even after managers discovered fish “spurting blood and shedding skin” within 10 seconds of the PCB dump:
Faced with costly litigation, Monsanto relied on Romney to create their new public image — one that did not involve poisoning soldiers or dumping chemicals in rivers:
<...> |
Response to proverbialwisdom (Original post)
Fri Dec 6, 2013, 01:08 PM
proverbialwisdom (4,959 posts)
45. Additional notes re: post #43, including PLOS ONE: Complete Genes May Pass from Food to Human Blood.
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0069805
Complete Genes May Pass from Food to Human Blood Sándor Spisák mail, Norbert Solymosi, Péter Ittzés, András Bodor, Dániel Kondor, Gábor Vattay, Barbara K. Barták, Ferenc Sipos, Orsolya Galamb, Zsolt Tulassay, Zoltán Szállási, Simon Rasmussen, Thomas Sicheritz-Ponten, Sřren Brunak, Béla Molnár, István Csabai Abstract Our bloodstream is considered to be an environment well separated from the outside world and the digestive tract. According to the standard paradigm large macromolecules consumed with food cannot pass directly to the circulatory system. During digestion proteins and DNA are thought to be degraded into small constituents, amino acids and nucleic acids, respectively, and then absorbed by a complex active process and distributed to various parts of the body through the circulation system. Here, based on the analysis of over 1000 human samples from four independent studies, we report evidence that meal-derived DNA fragments which are large enough to carry complete genes can avoid degradation and through an unknown mechanism enter the human circulation system. In one of the blood samples the relative concentration of plant DNA is higher than the human DNA. The plant DNA concentration shows a surprisingly precise log-normal distribution in the plasma samples while non-plasma (cord blood) control sample was found to be free of plant DNA. Citation: Spisák S, Solymosi N, Ittzés P, Bodor A, Kondor D, et al. (2013) Complete Genes May Pass from Food to Human Blood. PLoS ONE 8(7): e69805. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0069805 Editor: Andrew Dewan, Yale School of Public Health, United States of America Received: September 25, 2012; Accepted: June 4, 2013; Published: July 30, 2013 <> Link from: http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php/news/archive/2013/15007-complete-genes-can-pass-from-food-to-human-blood-study |
Response to proverbialwisdom (Reply #45)
Fri Dec 6, 2013, 01:22 PM
proverbialwisdom (4,959 posts)
46. More.
http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php/news/archive/2013/15007-complete-genes-can-pass-from-food-to-human-blood-study
Complete genes can pass from food to human blood - study on 19 August 2013 A new study shows that, contrary to reassurances from industry and regulators, complete genes - including GM genes - can pass from food into human blood. For many years, the public and scientists have been concerned that GM genes might be incorporated into animal products like meat and milk and consumed by humans. In 2007 the European Food Safety Authority issued a reassuring statement to the effect that "a large number of experimental studies with livestock have shown that recombinant DNA fragments or proteins derived from GM plants have not been detected in tissues, fluids, or edible products of farm animals like broilers, cattle, pigs, or quails". http://www.food.gov.uk/policy-advice/gm/gmanimal#.UgnoAryE7gP Even in 2007, EFSA's statement had already been proven false by some scientific studies: http://earthopensource.org/files/pdfs/GMO_Myths_and_Truths/GMO_Myths_and_Truths_1.3b.pdf (section 3.8) When reviewing the issue in the same year, EFSA seemed to be preparing the ground to change its advice, noting that "the recombinant [DNA] sequence is present in the GM plant only as a single or low copy number, which makes the potential absorption a rare event and therefore difficult to detect", and that "when more studies are carried out with more sensitive detection methods, such recombinant DNA fragments may be more frequently found in the future". http://www.food.gov.uk/policy-advice/gm/gmanimal#.UgnoAryE7gP Thus EFSA could blame its change of mind on better detection methods rather than its own poor knowledge of the science. This year, in the face of a sizeable and growing number of scientific studies showing that DNA from food, be it GM or non-GM, can and does end up in animal tissues and milk products that people eat, the UK Food Standards Agency updated its advice. The FSA admitted, "It is … possible that DNA fragments derived from GM plant materials may occasionally be detected in animal tissues, in the same way that DNA fragments derived from non-GM plant materials can be detected in these same tissues." http://www.food.gov.uk/policy-advice/gm/gmanimal#.UgnoAryE7gP Now the FSA and EFSA will have to revise their advice once again, as a new study by Hungarian researchers on human blood serum samples shows that meal-derived DNA fragments which are large enough to carry complete genes can avoid degradation in the digestive tract and through an unknown mechanism enter the human circulation system. These were not "fragments" of DNA, but stretches of plant DNA that are complete enough to enable the researchers to identify the exact plants that the human subjects ate, such as soy, maize, and oilseed rape. The researchers even found that in one of the blood serum samples the relative concentration of plant DNA was higher than the human DNA. Interestingly, the highest concentrations of plant DNA were found in people with inflammatory diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease and Kawasaki disease, an autoimmune disease in which the blood vessels become inflamed. In light of this study, the FSA might especially like to update its earlier, quite inaccurate, advice that "Biologically active genes and proteins are common constituents of food and feed, but digestion in both animals and humans is known to rapidly degrade their DNA, and the subsequent uptake of DNA fragments from the intestinal tract into the body is a normal physiological process." The FSA might more accurately say something like: "Biologically active genes and proteins are common constituents of food and feed. Digestion in both animals and humans degrades the DNA to varying degrees, depending partly on disease status of the consumer. Degradation can be incomplete and fragments large enough to carry complete genes can avoid degradation and enter the human circulatory system. We’ve always said that science would eventually prove the truth of the dictum, “You are what you eat”. Now it is time for regulatory authorities admit it. --- --- http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0069805 Spisak, S., et al. (2013). Complete genes may pass from food to human blood. PLoS ONE 8(7): e69805 Our bloodstream is considered to be an environment well separated from the outside world and the digestive tract. According to the standard paradigm large macromolecules consumed with food cannot pass directly to the circulatory system. During digestion proteins and DNA are thought to be degraded into small constituents, amino acids and nucleic acids, respectively, and then absorbed by a complex active process and distributed to various parts of the body through the circulation system. Here, based on the analysis of over 1000 human samples from four independent studies, we report evidence that meal-derived DNA fragments which are large enough to carry complete genes can avoid degradation and through an unknown mechanism enter the human circulation system. In one of the blood samples the relative concentration of plant DNA is higher than the human DNA. The plant DNA concentration shows a surprisingly precise lognormal distribution in the plasma samples while non-plasma (cord blood) control sample was found to be free of plant DNA. |