CDC preliminary findings on GE corn - Apr. 30

[Martha Rosett Lutz]

Hello all . . .


Quick note on this, since I just got my "A" in toxicology.  Here's the
quote Dr. Quinn provided:

"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."

To put this in perspective, keep in mind that Bt toxin has NO TARGET SITE
in humans.  Unlike many chemical alternatives for pest control, including
'natural botanical' pesticides such as pyrethrins, rotenone, or even
nicotine, Bt affects a molecular target site unique to insects.  Most
chemical pesticides, whether botanical or synthetic (or synthetic versions
of botanicals, which includes most pyrethrins on the market today) affect
target sites in the nervous system.  These molecules tend to be strongly
evolutionarily conserved and are found in both insects and vertebrates,
including humans.

In contrast, Bt toxins can only have an adverse effect on human health if
they provoke an immune response--an allergy.  And if we start banning from
our food all chemicals that provoke allergy, we'll have to start with
peanuts, cow milk proteins, wheat gluten--the point here is that many very
common ingredients provoke severe allergic responses in many humans.  None
of these ingredients are banned.  However, manufacturers are required to
list ingredients so that those individuals with known allergies can avoid
products containing the substances that cause an allergic reaction.  How
many of the Leps-ers are allergic to peanuts, or have a friend who is
allergic to peanuts?  I have a friend who could easily die if any of his
food is 'contaminated' with almost any species of nut.  However, this is
NOT a reason to ban nuts from food, is it?  Could you imagine trying to put
together a sack lunch for a school child without using wheat gluten, peanut
butter, or allowing them to have milk with their lunch?

A little common sense tells us that we cannot and should not ban food
ingredients that are NON-TOXIC but that may provoke immune responses in
some individuals.  There would simply be too many items on the banned list.
I fully support requiring manufacturers to provide information about what
is in their food product.  But I also fully support public education about
the definition of 'toxin' and the requirement for a molecular target site
for a substance to be toxic to humans.  I think an immunological response
falls into a different category, especially since there are some
auto-immune diseases, in which the 'toxin' is, for example, a beta islet
cell in the human pancreas, and the resulting disease is Type I diabetes.
Let's not ban beta islet cells, though--let's just agree that immune
response does not define toxicity . . . can we do that?  And if you enjoy
wheat, peanuts, milk, etc., thank someone with an allergy to those
substances for not demanding that these chemicals be banned from all food
products . . .



In Stride,
Martha Rosett Lutz



 
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