On ABC TV News tonight (May 20, 1999) at 7:00 pm: The latest information on genetically engineered foods: American scientists have discovered that the genetically modified maize planted in fields in the USA is killing the caterpillar of the Monarch Butterfly and has the potential to wipe it out! Until now, this crop has been declared 'safe'! [See below how some of these things are declared safe and see what risks the government is prepared to take with our health and Australia's environment. --- Trudy] Physicians and Scientists for Responsible Application of Science and Technology [Website] http://www.psrast.org/news/News.txt PASS THE BUCK The Amercian Food and Drug administration (FDA) has a list of foods that are "generally recognised as safe." Rachel's Environment and Health Weekly reports that since 1992 FDA has allowed companies like Monsanto to decide for themselves whether their new genetically engineered foods should be added to this list and thus escape regulation. In other words, FDA regulation of genetically engineered foods is voluntary, not mandatory. "Monsanto should not have to vouchsafe the safety of biotech food," Phil Angell, Monsanto's director of corporate communications, told the New York Times. "Our interest is in selling as much of it as possible. Assuring its safety is the FDA's Job." for further information on bitechology and its hazards, see the website: http://www.concentric.net/~Rwolfson/home.html [These are the foods on our shelves that have supposedly been declared safe overseas but have not been assessed here. It is on the basis of this supposed safety that they remain on the shelves until they are tested - without being labelled. --- Trudy] CONCLUSIVE EVIDENCE THAT EATING RAW GM POTATOES HAS A PROFOUND PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECT Thorkild C. B#248#g-Hansen, Senior Associate Professor, University of Copenhagen, Denmark. January 1, 1999. A commentary on results reported by Dr S.W.B.Ewen, a senior pathologist at the University of Aberdeen, at the meeting of the COST 98 Action (European Union Program) in Lund, Sweden, 25-27 November 1998. Dr Ewen's results clearly showed the errors in the Audit Report that followed Dr Pusztai's suspension from the Rowett Research Institute. The experiments clearly showed that ... the GM potatoes caused a major intraepithelial lymphocyte infiltration similar to inflammatory responses. Dr Ewen characterized the changes as damaging. The talk was followed by a discussion in which Dr Pusztai emphasized that Dr Ewen's results clearly showed up the errors in the conclusions of the Audit Report. Many scientists at the meeting expressed the view that as GM potatoes had such major effects on the gut and tissue metabolism in the rat, these highlighted the need for further testing of GM plants used for food with novel and more sensitive methods before their safe use in human and/or animal diets. For other articles go to: http://www.psrast.org/newart.htm -- Leftlink - Australia's Broad Left Mailing List mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.alexia.net.au/~www/mhutton/index.html Sponsored by Melbourne's New International Bookshop Subscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=subscribe%20leftlink Unsubscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20leftlink
