Bt corn flap

[Chris J. Durden]

At 08:51  28/03/00 GMT, you wrote:
 
><snip article on BT toxin getting into the soil from GM maize>
>
>A useful article, although loike so much other work on the subject it
>doesn't really address the important questions here:
>
>1) Does this have any effect on the soil fauna? 
- - - - -
It is time to ask this question by testing soil fauna in a range of
habitats, including wilderness habitas, not just agriculturally developed
habitats, and estuarine and marine habitats.
- - - - -(Chris)
Remember that BTK is
>pretty much specific to lepidoptera
- - - - -
Do we rally know this for sure? Have Collembola, Cladocera, Pycnogonids,
Tardigrades, Gnathostomulids, Tunicates or Testaceans been tested? To me
"pretty much" is a warning flag! I seem to recall that some strains work
well against locusts which are very different from Lepidoptera.
- - - - -(Chris)
>
>2) Does it have a greater effect on the soil fauna than conventional
>pesticides? I'd be surprised if the answer to this is yes.
- - - - -
Let's not speculate. Let's measure!
- - - - -(Chris)
>
>3) Why is it that when sprayed around the environment from a
>helicopter BT is an environmentally friendly organic natural control
>agent
- - - - -
To those of us trying to live and collect under the black helicopter it is
not at all environmentaly friendly, never has been, but you cannot chase
away a helicopter of any color with a butterfly net. You can keep BT out of
the butterfly garden and the wilderness reserve.
- - - - -(Chris)
, but when the exact same molecule is produced by genetic
>engineering it suddenly transforms into an evil monster that will not
>only kill all the pretty butterflies 
- - - - -
I see no difference in the molecule. Some of the unintended and unmeasured
byproducts of the production process may have unexpected side effects which
need to be discovered and measured. 
- - - - -(Chris)
but will also make your 14 year
>old daughter pregnant, will wipe your hard drive and is responsible
>for Saddam Hussein still being in power in Iraq :-)
- - - - -
and that is just plain irresponsible trivialization of a serious matter!
- - - - -(Chris)
>
>Cheers
>Rob Knell
>
>School of Biological Sciences
>Queen Mary and Westfield College
>University of London
>
>