Sick people used like laboratory rats in GM trials

Geoffrey Lean, Environment Editor, " Sick people used like laboratory
rats in GM trials", Independent, March 4, 2007,
Link: http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/article2326209.ece

Genetically modified potatoes developed by Monsanto, the multinational
biotech company, have been fed to sick patients in an experiment. Rats
that ate similar potatoes in the research suffered reductions in the
weight of their hearts and prostate glands.

Dr Michael Antoniou, reader in molecular genetics at Guy's, King's and
St Thomas' School of Medicine, said use of humans was "irresponsible
and totally unethical, especially when already ill subjects were
enrolled. These people truly were guinea pigs." Other scientists said
the trials were too short, on too few people, to give meaningful
results of long-term effects.

Monsanto said the vegetables were safe, and the researchers conducting
the experiment said effects on the rats were within "permissible"
limits.

The experiment is described in a hitherto unpublished report by the
Nutrition Institute of the Russian Academy of Medical Science, done
"by agreement with Monsanto Company" in 1998.

The report says "10 patients suffering from hypertensive disease and
ischemic heart disease" were fed a pound of the Russet Burbank
potatoes - modified to resist Colorado beetles - every day for three
weeks, and monitored.

It goes on: "A certain risk of GM food products for human health does
exist, as there can be by-effects of inserted genes besides the
designed ones." The report describes the patients as "volunteers" and
says they liked the GM potato so much they all "expressed their
intention to consume it at home".

After comparing them with 10 other patients fed conventional potatoes,
the report concludes: "The genetically modified potato provided by
Monsanto did not reveal toxic, mutagenic, immune modulating and
allergic effects within the examined parameters of the present
experiment".

It recommended the GM potatoes "can be used for human nutrition
purposes in further epidemiological research". The report says the
rats, tested over six months, suffered "increases of kidneys' absolute
weight" when compared to ones fed conventional potatoes but that all
changes were "within permissible physiological fluctuation".

But Dr Irina Ermakova, of the Russian Academy of Science, calls the GM
potatoes "dangerous" for rats, adding: "On this evidence, they cannot
be used in the nourishment of people".

Tony Coombs from Monsanto UK said in a statement: "Potatoes
genetically improved to prevent Colorado beetle destroying the crop
have already been consumed, as safely as conventional or organic ones,
in North America for years."

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