GE WATCH | Twelve risk studies that confirm harm from consumption of GMO crops

Evidence
of harm has been available since 1990s

FURTHER PROOF MONSANTO, ET AL. & US GOVERNMENT ARE ANTI-SCIENCE

Devon G. Peña | Seattle, WA | March 3, 2014

We often hear that the opponents of genetically engineered crops and foods with
transgenic ingredients are anti-science. However, it is actually the commercial
agricultural biotechnology corporations that are anti-science and the United
States government has always been their biggest direct enabler.

One of the
ways in which this anti-scientific discourse occurs is by repeating a false
mantra about how studies show little or no risk from the consumption GE crops
and processed foods. Of course, the industrial gene giants – and their many
enablers in the USDA, EPA, and FDA – seldom admit that their research is based
on deeply flawed research designs. The industry average for self-study involves
so-called 10 day to 6 week feeding trials with rats that are so poorly designed
that they would have trouble passing a college-level molecular biology class
lab assignment on hypothesis testing. The principal flaw that is widely
acknowledged is the length of the trials.

The effects
of the consumption of any food, including GMO, are cumulative and the effects
may not appear under short-term testing and monitoring. This is an established
scientific methodological principle in most fields of risk science. Research
designs with longer feeding trials like the industry-maligned Séralini study (Citation #3 below)
are more accurate and will present a clearer picture of the longer-term
cumulative risks associated with the consumption of GMO foods. Some of these
risks are associated with the effects of the agro-industrial chemical treatment
protocols imposed through the contracts growers sign to use transgenic crop
seeds. Many of these studies reveal deeply troubling risk factors sourced in
the use of glyphosate herbicides.

Here are
twelve peer reviewed scientific studies that have much better research designs
than those adopted by the industry as the standard for the metrics of risk
analysis. It was prepared and annotated by my colleague Brian John, the founder
of the Eco Centre Wales in Newport and one of the leaders of the community
group GM Free Cymru.

Courtesy of Holistic Health Living

Annotated Bibliography for Twelve Papers

Prepared by Brian John

1.  Citation:  Mañas, F., Peralta, L., Ugnia, L., Weyers, A., García
Ovando, H., & Gorla, N. (2013). “Oxidative stress and comet assay in
tissues of mice administered glyphosate and AMPA in drinking water for 14 days”.
 BAG. Journal of basic and applied genetics, 24(2), 67-75.

Link:  Mañas
et al. Authors’ conclusion:  “…mice administered glyphosate or AMPA in
drinking water for 14 days induced a significant increase in DNA damage in
liver and blood but minor effects on oxidative stress parameters.”

Significance:  Evidence of indirect harm to mammals from the use of
glyphosate administered to GMO herbicide-resistant crops



2.  Citation:  Stanley W B Ewen, Arpad Pusztai (1999) “Effect of diets
containing genetically modified potatoes expressing Galanthus nivalis lectin on
rat small intestine”. The Lancet, Volume 354, Issue 9187, Pages 1353 – 1354

Link:
 Ewen
et al. Authors’ conclusion:  “Other parts of the GM construct, or the
transformation, could have contributed to the overall effects.........The
possibility that a plant vector in common use in some GM plants can affect the
mucosa of the gastrointestinal tract and exert powerful biological effects may
also apply to GM plants containing similar constructs...” Significance: Evidence
demonstrating a direct negative health consequence from the consumption of a
GMO.



3.  Citation:  Gilles-Eric Séralini, Emilie Clair, Robin Mesnage,
Steeve Gress, Nicolas Defarge, Manuela Malatesta, Didier Hennequin, Joël
Spiroux de Vendômois (2012) “Long term toxicity of a Roundup herbicide and a
Roundup-tolerant genetically modified maize”. Food and Chemical Toxicology
Volume 50, Issue 11, November, Pages 4221–4231

Link:
Séralini
et al.  Authors’ conclusion: “The results of the study presented here
clearly demonstrate that lower levels of complete agricultural glyphosate
herbicide formulations, at concentrations well below officially set safety
limits, induce severe hormone-dependent mammary, hepatic and kidney
disturbances.” Significance:  Evidence demonstrating both direct and
indirect (Roundup-related) harm arising from the use of a GMO as feed.

Note:
This paper was retracted by the Journal Editor, after huge pressure from the GM
industry, on the spurious grounds that some of its findings were “inconclusive”.
 However, its evidence stands unless it can be shown by repeat
experimentation to be defective.



4.  Citation:  Mezzomo, B. P., et al. (2013). “Hematotoxicity of
Bacillus thuringiensis as spore-crystal strains Cry1Aa, Cry1Ab, Cry1Ac, or
Cry2Aa in Swiss albino mice”. J Hematol Thromb Dis 1(1)

Link:
Mezzomo
et al. Authors’ conclusion:  ”Spore-crystal administrations provoked
selective hematotoxicity for the 3 exposure times, particularly for erythroid
lineage. A significant reduction in bone marrow cell proliferation demonstrated
cytotoxic but not genotoxic effects. These effects persisted for all exposure
times, becoming more evident at 7 days.” Significance: Evidence demonstrating a
direct negative health consequence from the consumption of a GMO



5.  Citation:  Judy A. Carman, Howard R. Vlieger, Larry J. Ver Steeg,
Verlyn E. Sneller, Garth W. Robinson, Catherine A. Clinch-Jones, Julie I.
Haynes, John W. Edwards (2013) “A long-term toxicology study on pigs fed a
combined genetically modified (GM) soy and GM maize diet”.  Journal of
Organic Systems 8(1)

Link:
Carman, et al.
Authors’ conclusion:  “Pigs fed a GMO diet exhibited heavier uteri and a
higher rate of severe stomach inflammation than pigs fed a comparable non-GMO
diet.” Significance:  Evidence demonstrating harm to mammals fed on a diet
containing GMO components.  The harm may be GM-related or
herbicide-related, or a combination of the two.

6. Citation: Malatesta, M, B Baldelli, S Battistelli, C Tiberi, E
Manuali, M Biggiogera. (2005).  European
Journal of Histochemistry Vol 49(3):
237-241.

Link: Malatesta, et al.
Authors’ conclusions: Using immunoelectron microscopy, we demonstrated that a
one-month diet reversion can influence some nuclear features in adult mice,
restoring typical characteristics of controls in GM-fed animals, and inducing
in control mice modifications similar to those observed in animals fed on GM
soybean from weaning. This suggests that the modifications related to GM
soybean are potentially reversible, but also that some modifications are
inducible in adult organisms in a short time.

7.  Citation:   Gab-Alla, A. A., El-Shamei, Z. S., Shatta, A. A.,
Moussa, E. A., and Rayan, A. M. (2012)  “Morphological and Biochemical
Changes in Male Rats Fed on Genetically Modified Corn (Ajeeb YG)”. J Am Sci
2012;8(9):1117- 1123

Link:  Gab-Alla
et al. Authors’ conclusion:  ”The data showed several statistically
significant differences in organs/body weight and serum biochemistry between
the rats fed on GM and/or Non-GM corn and the rats fed on AIN93G diets.” Significance:
 Evidence demonstrating a direct negative health consequence from the
consumption of a GMO.



8.  Citation:  Benedetti, D., et al. (2013). “Genetic damage in
soybean workers exposed to pesticides: evaluation with the comet and buccal
micronucleus cytome assays.” Mutat Res 752(1-2): 28-33.

Link:
 Benedetti,
et al.  Authors’ conclusion:  ”Comet
assay and BMCyt (micronuclei and nuclear buds) data revealed DNA damage in
soybean workers. Cell death was also observed (condensed chromatin,
karyorhectic, and karyolitic cells).” Significance:  Evidence of indirect
effects -- ie health damage to humans from chemicals used in association with
the cultivation of GMOs.



9.  Citation:  Alejandra Paganelli, Victoria Gnazzo, Helena Acosta,
Silvia L. López, and Andrés E. Carrasco (2010) “Glyphosate-Based Herbicides
Produce Teratogenic Effects on Vertebrates by Impairing Retinoic Acid Signaling.”
  Chem. Res. Toxicol., 23 (10), pp 1586–1595.

Link:
Paganelli et al. Authors’
conclusion:  ”The direct effect of glyphosate on early mechanisms of
morphogenesis in vertebrate embryos opens concerns about the clinical findings
from human offspring in populations exposed to GBH in agricultural fields.” Significance:
 Evidence of an indirect (glyphosate based) effect arising from the
growing of herbicide-tolerant GMO crops



10.  Citation:  Joël Spiroux de Vendômois, François Roullier,
Dominique Cellier and Gilles-Eric Séralini.  “A Comparison of the Effects
of Three GM Corn Varieties on Mammalian Health.” (2009).   International
Journal of Biological Sciences 2009; 5(7):706-726

Link:
de Vendômois
et al.   Authors’ conclusion:  “Our analysis clearly reveals for
the 3 GMOs new side effects linked with GM maize consumption, which were sex-
and often dose- dependent. Effects were mostly associated with the kidney and
liver, the dietary detoxifying organs, although different between the 3 GMOs.” Significance:
 Evidence demonstrating harm to mammals fed on a diet containing GMO
components. The harm may be GM-related or herbicide-related, or a combination
of the two.



11.  Citation: Nagui H. Fares, Adel K. El-Sayed, “Fine Structural Changes
in the Ileum of Mice Fed on Endotoxin Treated Potatoes and Transgenic Potatoes,”
Natural Toxins 6, no. 6 (1998): 219–233.

Link:
Fares,
and El-Sayed. Authors’ conclusion:  “...the Paneth cells were highly
activated and contained a large number of secretory granules. These changes may
suggest that δ-endotoxin-treated potatoes resulted in the development of
hyperplastic cells in the mice ileum.” Significance:  Evidence
demonstrating a direct negative health consequence from the consumption of
 a GMO



12.  Citation:  Malatesta, M., et al. (2003). “Fine structural
analyses of pancreatic acinar cell nuclei from mice fed on genetically modified
soybean” . European Journal of Histochemistry 47:  pp 385-388

Link:
Malatesta, et
al. Authors’ conclusion:  ”We found a significant lowering of
nucleoplasmic and nucleolar splicing factors as well as a perichromatin granule
accumulation in GM-fed mice, suggestive of reduced post-transcriptional hnRNA
processing and/or nuclear export.” Significance:  Evidence demonstrating a
direct negative health consequence from the consumption of a GMO.