Meningitis Fear over GM Food (UK)
Untested Soya Presents Daily Risk for Millions (UK)
UK BBC News, Health Date: Monday, April 26, 1999
Genetically-modified (GM) food could make dangerous diseases such as meningitis more difficult to treat, a government scientific advisor has warned.
Specialists on the UK Government's Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes (ACNFP) are concerned about plants being
grown in the USA and parts of Europe that contain a gene resistant to antibiotics. They fear the resistance could be spread widely throughout the environment, and that it could be picked up by bacteria that cause serious disease. Microbiologist Dr John Heritage, a member of the committee, has written to the American authorities to express his concern.
Dr Heritage told the BBC the risk posed by antibiotic-resistant foods was small. But he said: "We are talking about diseases that may be life threatening, like meningitis.
Dr Heritage said antibiotic resistant genes were used by biotechnology companies because they allow scientists to move other genes around. Scientists do this with the aim of eradicating weaknesses in the crop and enhancing the positive qualities of the food.
He said the risk of spreading antibiotic resistance occured when cells
were broken open during the processing of the food, releasing the modified DNA into the environment. The risk was magnified when the processing created dust, Dr Heritage said, because the dust would be breathed in.
"That family of bacteria are very adept at taking up DNA from the
environment and expressing it."
There are concerns about an antibiotic resistant gene known as AAD
that is found in genetically modified maize and cotton. The ACNFP issued a statement which said that the committee had published detailed guidance on the use of antibiotic marker genes in the UK to ensure their use does not add to the current levels of antibiotic resistance.
Gene Transfer
"Were these genes to get into bacteria from
genetically modified plants it would make cases of disease more difficult to treat."
Cells Split
"This is where the meningitis worry comes because a significant minority of the population carry the bacteria that cause meningitis,"
he said.
Untested Soya Presents Daily Risk for Millions
Paul Brown
The Guardian Weekly Volume 160 Issue 22 for week ending May 30, 1999, Page 8
Genetically modified soya beans found in some of the most common processed foods, including biscuits, ready-made meals and soft drinks, have been released on the world market without the safety tests necessary to protect human health, according to independent scientists.
GM soya beans eaten by millions of people daily have not been through safety trials after being sprayed with the toxic chemical herbicide they were designed to resist. The tests would have shown up any side effects on animals or humans. Scientists fear that the beans could have undergone chemical changes after being sprayed. They are worried about research that shows that the specially designed herbicide used can raise levels of phyto-oestrogens - plant chemicals that mimic human sex hormones.
Regulatory authorities in the United States and Britain admit that they did not require Monsanto, the company that created the GM soya, to carry out the tests after it was sprayed with the firm's herbicide Roundup before allowing it to be used in hundreds of processed foods. "Roundup Ready" soya beans are believed to be present in most processed food sold in Britain and the US, including bread, chocolate, baby food, biscuits, soft drinks and readymade meals, although some supermarkets and manufacturers are trying to phase them out.
Stanley Robert, a molecular geneticist and biologist from Tasmania, and Ute Baumann, from the department of plant science at the University of Adelaide, discovered that Monsanto had not carried out tests on sprayed soya. They wrote to the Food and Drug Administration, saying: "Without such basic studies, the FDA is in no position to vouch for the safety of this controversial product now pervading the diet of millions of unwitting consumers."
Jim Monranski, the FDA official in charge of the soya bean licensing, said Monsanto had submitted that GM beans were substantially equivalent to ordinary beans. The FDA felt no safety issues could arise since the beans had passed the "substantial equivalence test".
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