RE: [pf] 50 Harmful Effects of Genetically Modified Foods

by David A

19 December 2000 15:55 UTC

The only way we will ever settle anything is to dig in and get to the 
basics. Can you provide a reference for this claim:

> Q: Could this be dangerous?
> A: Potentially, yes. In one case, soya bean engineered with a 
> gene from a brazil nut gave rise to allergic reactions in people 
> sensitive to the nuts.

How many people? 
Who did the test?
What was done with the test results?

According the The Scientist, 
http://www.the-scientist.com/yr1999/oct/lewis_p1_991011.html (you'll 
have to register), this test was done on seven volunteers and the 
product was then rejected before it ever went to the market:

"In 1996, Pioneer Hi-Bred International commissioned a research team 
from the University of Nebraska to investigate whether canola and beans 
given an albumin-encoding gene from Brazil nuts was allergenic to nine 
volunteers with known Brazil nut allergy.[3] The genetic manipulation 
aimed to add methionine to the protein content of the crops, slated for 
use as animal feed. When seven of the volunteers reacted, the company 
immediately halted the program. News reports focused on the potentially 
deadly combination of lack of labels and allergic reactions. Yet the 
study also showed how the regulatory system identifies and addresses 
risks." 
-- Ricki Lewis and Barry A. Palevitz, The Scientist, 13[20]:1, Oct. 11, 
1999. 

[3] J.A. Nordlee et al., "Identification of a Brazil-nut allergen in 
transgenic soybeans," New England Journal of Medicine, 334: 688-92, 
1996.