Write
to Arpad Pusztai
|
Go to Thorkild's page with background information about the events around dr. Pusztai's suspension in August 1998 |
Latest:Rolf Lembcke has written a report in Danish: "Dr. Pusztais forsøg med gen-kartofler - døm selv" [dr. Pusztai's experiments with gene modified potatoes - judge for yourself] 60 pages, April 2000 Why I cannot remain silent - Arpad Pusztai speaks out Report on the OECD/Edinburgh Conference March 2000 Differential binding of the insecticidal lectin GNA to human blood cells by Brian Fenton in The Lancet. Summary: Evidence of snowdrop lectin binding to human white cells supports the need for greater understanding of the possible health consequences of incorporating plant lectins into the food chain. Will GM crops deliver benefits to farmers? What leading scientists and public figures have said about the dangers of genetically modified foods Links to GM Foods, check the recent update
Perhaps the most level-headed statement comes from an |
|
Links to GM Foods, check the recent update (June 2000) |
| "At least some MPs ought to know that there has been a cover-up, so that when the whole truth is revealed, they cannot say, 'I am afraid I did not know what was going on'" Arpad Pusztai as quoted on BBC, link here |
The Memorandum
- Summary of reviews by 20 independent scientists, 12 February 1999
|
'These findings will cause an explosion' |
A commentary by Thorkild C. Bøg-Hansen, Senior Associate Professor, University of Copenhagen, Denmark. January 1, 1999 - updated with links on 26 February, 1999. Write to T.C.Bøg-Hansen,
Conclusive evidence that raw GM potatoes has a profound physiological effect reported by Dr S.W.B.Ewen, a senior pathologist at the University of Aberdeen. The results were reported at the meeting of the COST 98 Action (European Union Program) in Lund, Sweden, 25-27 November 1998. Write to S.W.B.Ewen.
Dr Ewen's results clearly showed the errors in the Audit Report that followed Dr Pusztai's suspension from the Rowett Research Institute - read the background story - The Audit Report main conclusion is: "The Audit Committee is of the opinion that the existing data do not support any suggestion that the consumption by rats of transgenic potatoes expressing GNA has an effect on growth, organ development or the immune function" See links below. Write to Arpad Pusztai.
The results were obtained with histological examinations of internal organs of Dr Pusztai's rats after feeding with GM potatoes expressing GNA (Galanthus nivalis agglutinin, the lectin from snowdrop). The experiments clearly showed that there was a potent mitogenic stimulatory effect on all parts of the rat gastrointestinal tract and that the GM potatoes caused a major intraepithelial lymphocyte infiltration similar to inflammatory responses. Dr Ewen characterized the changes as damaging. Apparently Dr. Ewen's experiments were performed on the same rats as those in the Audit Report.
Dr Ewen found that the reactions were significantly different from those found with diets containing parent potato lines or parent potatoes spiked with GNA. Thus, particularly significant was the finding that the potentially damaging reactions observed with GM potatoes were either absent or were significantly less extensive with parent potatoes spiked with GNA, suggesting the possibility that the observed effects with GM potatoes might have occurred as a result of the gene insertion and not the GNA gene itself.
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.
Why Dr Pusztai was Suspended
The widely reported findings of Dr Pusztai was first broadcast in Granada's "World in Action" programme on 10 August 1998. The finding was that feeding young rats with diets based on GM potatoes reduced their growth rate and immune responsiveness. This was first acclaimed by the Rowett Research Institute in Scotland. However, two days later Professor James, the Rowett Research Institute's Director denied the existence of such experiments.
Dr Pusztai was then suspended by the Rowett Research Institute (see links below) and the results of his research investigated by an Audit Committee. An Audit Report was published three months later which admitted that despite previous claims by the Rowett Research Institute, Dr Pusztai's team had in fact performed several feeding experiments on rats with GM potatoes. The Audit Report found that the experimental approach and methods were correct. However, the conclusion of the Audit Reprot was that the results did not support the idea that the rats suffered any growth retardation or interference with organ development and immune function as a consequence of GM potato feeding.
You may read some comments by concerned scientists at this link.
The Alternative Report
According to the rules of Audit procedures the Director had to return the primary data to Dr Pusztai. Using these Dr Pusztai has produced an Alternative Report which concludes that GM potatoes and their parent lines are compositionally substantially different and that feeding rats on GM potato diets affects their growth rate, organ development and immune system. The alternative report may be obtained from Dr. Pusztai.
To resolve these major differences in the two Reports based on the same experimental data, the Coordinator of COST 98 Action (European Union Program), Professor S. Pierzynowski together with Professor E. Van Driessche and myself invited Professor Philip James and the Chairman of the Audit Committee, Dr A. Chesson, to a meeting of the COST 98 Action in Lund, Sweden, 25-27 November 1998. They were invited to present and justify the findings of the Audit Report to European scientists, including senior lectinologists and to discuss with them the possible reasons for the fundamental differences between their and Dr Pusztai's reports. Unfortunately, neither Professor James nor Dr Chesson were willing to participate or even reply to the invitation which is all the more regrettable because during the meeting Dr Ewen presented his findings.
In view of this the scientific community awaits with great interest the critical scientific assessment of the conclusions of the Audit Report in comparison with those of the Alternative Report both of which are now being carefully scrutinized by a panel of UK, European and USA senior scientists. Their conclusions are available now (12 February 1999) link here. The media may obtain the reviews from dr. Edilbert van Driessche.