CDC preliminary findings on GE corn - Apr. 30

[Ron Gatrelle]

The issue is not: Is Bt engineered corn safe as mother's milk to humans,
nor poisonous to humans as arsenic. The issue is - is it harmful to
Monarchs? That's it. Milkweed is harmful to humans - so are we to conclude
Monarchs shouldn't eat it either? I don't intend to eat milkweed or Bt
corn. I don't even know that I want the Bt  corn fed to cows and pigs I
might later ingest. But that is not relevant either. The issue is - is Bt
corn harmful to Monarchs. That's it.
I have never said, nor am I saying, I like the idea of Bt corn. I am
saying, just stick with what it does or does not do to Monarchs - not
Mickey Mouse. that's it. Bt corn could be found to kill everything on
earth, except Monarch's. And for this topic that is all that would be
relevent. That's it. What bothers me is that certain people seem to WANT to
find it is harmful to Monarch's - Just like the Tobacco scientists didn't
WANT to find tabacco was harmful to humans. There is no place in science
for predisposed WANT.
RG

----- Original Message -----
From: "Mike Quinn" <Mike.Quinn at tpwd.state.tx.us>
To: "Leps-L (E-mail)" <LEPS-L at lists.yale.edu>
Sent: Friday, May 11, 2001 11:48 PM
Subject: CDC preliminary findings on GE corn - Apr. 30


>
>
> Emma Patten-Hitt, PhD
> Reuters Health via Yahoo! News
> April 30, 2001
>
> ATLANTA - Corn genetically engineered to produce insect-killing proteins
may
> have caused several cases of allergic reaction, but it is too soon to
know
> for sure, according to an investigation by the Centers for Disease
Control
> and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia.
>
> The genetically engineered corn, called StarLink, is produced by Aventis
> Crop Science and was removed from use for human consumption because of
> concerns about potential allergic reactions. It was, however, later found
in
> taco shells, leading to a recall of more than 300 food products last
> September.
>
> To assess the health effects of this incident, CDC researchers led by Dr.
> Brad S. Winterton interviewed 18 individuals who reported symptoms
> consistent with food allergies after eating corn products--mainly tacos
and
> corn chips.
>
> Of 18 persons interviewed, 12 reported a serious allergic reaction called
> anaphylaxis, which is characterized by low blood pressure and difficult
> breathing. Fourteen reported skin allergy, and nine reported stomach
> problems.
>
> The researchers reported the findings on Thursday at the CDC's 50th
Annual
> Epidemic Intelligence Service Conference meeting here.
>
> <snip>
>
> "I wish we had the answer to whether the corn caused these allergic
> reactions," Winterton said, but he pointed out that it is rare for people
to
> have an allergy to corn that has not been genetically modified to produce
> Cry9C.
>
> ** NOTICE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material
is
> distributed for research and educational purposes only. **
>
> full story:
> http://www.biotech-info.net/jury_still_out.html
>
>
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