A controversial French study linking GM corn to cases of cancer was
dismissed by an investigative panel on Monday. Experts, asked by the government
to examine the study, found there was no link between the corn and tumours
found in rats.
An investigative panel on Monday rejected a contested French study
linking transgenic corn to cancer in rats but called for a "long-term,
independent" probe into the product to advise the public. The Higher
Biotechnologies Council (HCB) said it found "no causal relationship"
between the rats' tumours and consumption of Monsanto's NK603 corn or the
Roundup herbicide that was part of the experiment.
The experiment's methods were also "unsuitable," it said in a
report made at the government's request. "The study provides no scientific
information regarding the detection of any health risk linked to NK603 corn,
whether it was treated with Roundup or not," it said. But the HCB also
called for a wider investigation under government auspices to inform a public
bewildered by the controversy. It recommended "a long-term, independent,
transparent study, with adversarial views, into the safety for health of
NK603."
In September, researchers led by Gilles-Eric Seralini at the University
of Caen in Normandy said rats fed with the genetically-modified corn and/or doses
of Roundup developed cancer. The paper unleashed a storm in
environmentally-sensitive Europe, where GM crops face many restrictions. NK603
has been engineered to make it resistant to agricultural biotechnology company
Monsanto's herbicide Roundup. This way, farmers can douse fields with the
weedkiller in a single go, offering savings.
Seralini said his experiment was the first to test GM corn on rodents'
normal lifespan of two years, as opposed to the standard 90 days. He said NK603
and Roundup both caused tumours, whether they were consumed together or on
their own. But critics faulted the experimental methods and data and accused
him of manipulating the media to gain scary headlines.
On Friday, six French science academies joined the accusers, saying that
the work "does not enable any reliable conclusion to be drawn" and
had "spread fear among the public". The joint statement, an
exceptional event, was issued by the national academies of agriculture,
medicine, pharmacy, sciences, technology and veterinary studies.
In a reaction, Monsanto said at its French headquarters in Lyon that
"it took note" of the HCB's findings and said the recommended probe
"does not change risk assessments" for NK603. The chair of the HCB's
economic and ethics panel, Christine Noiville, said the Seralini study
"had led to doubt in the public's mind." "The aim (of the
recommended inquiry) is to reassure public opinion, which doesn't who or what
to believe," she told a press conference. Seralini should take part in the
recommended probe, the HCB said.
The European Food Safety Agency (EFSA), which reviews use and
authorisation of GM organisms, had already rejected the Seralini report as
"inadequate," and watchdogs in Germany and Australia and New Zealand
have said it offered no firm evidence of risk. The French government ordered
two fast-track official investigations into the study. The 66-member HCB was
set up in 2009 to provide an independent view of biotech issues. The National
Agency for Food Safety (ANSES) was to deliver the second report later Monday.
Seralini is a well-known opponent of GM food. But his paper appeared in
journal, Food and Chemical Toxicology, which uses the peer-review process, a
system designed to ensure published research is accurate and fair.
France24
Please share
No comments:
Post a Comment