GM maize by MONSANTO threatens our livers and kidneys

just see by yourselves here



http://www.vunet.org/progressive/1173797909-New_study_reveals_signs_of_toxici...



(Tue, 13 Mar 2007 09:58:29 -0500 (CDT)) --- Greenpeace demands immediate withdrawal of high-risk GE products

Berlin/ Paris 13 March 2007: Laboratory rats, fed with a genetically engineered
(GE) maize produced by Monsanto, have shown signs of toxicity in kidney and
liver, according to a new study.(1) This is the first time that a GE product
which has been cleared for use as food for humans and animals has shown signs
of toxic effects on internal organs.

The study, published today in the journal "Archives of Environmental
Contamination and Toxicology", analysed results of safety tests submitted by
Monsanto to the European Commission when the company was seeking authorisation
to market its GE Maize variety MON863 in the EU. (2)

The data shows that MON863 has significant health risks associated with it;
nonetheless, the European Commission granted licences to market the maize for
consumption by both humans and animals. (3)

The incriminating evidence was obtained by Greenpeace following a court case
(4), and passed on for evaluation by a team of experts headed by Professor
Gilles Eric Siralini, a governmental expert in genetic engineering technology
from the University of Caen. (5)

In a joint press conference with Greenpeace at Berlin, Professor Siralini said,
"Monsanto's analyses do not stand up to rigorous scrutiny ? to begin
with, their statistical protocols are highly questionable. Worse, the company
failed to run a sufficient analysis of the differences in animal weight.
Crucial data from urine tests were concealed in the company?s own
publications."

Greenpeace is demanding the complete and immediate withdrawal of Monsanto's
MON 863 maize from the global market and is calling upon governments to
undertake an urgent reassessment of all other authorised GE products and a
strict review of current testing methods.

"This is the final nail in the coffin for the credibility of the current
authorisation system for GE products. Once it's known that a system designed
to protect human and animal health has approved a high-risk product despite
clear evidence of its dangers, we need to start "strip-searching" all GE
products on the market, and immediately abort this flawed approval
procedure," said Christophe Then, Genetic Engineer campaigner, Greenpeace
International.

The data in question has been the subject of fierce debate since 2003, when
significant changes were identified in the blood of tested animals fed on
MON863. MON863 was approved by the European Commission, in spite of opposition
by a majority of EU member states, who raised concerns over the safety of the
maize. Professor Siralini?s analysis now scientifically confirms these
concerns.

As the study states, "with the present data, it cannot be concluded that GM
corn MON863 is a safe product." And yet, MON863 has been authorised for
markets in Australia, Canada, China, Japan, Mexico, the Phillipines, and USA,
besides the EU.

"This is an international emergency alert, requiring a global response,"
concluded Then, "Only a complete withdrawal from all markets will curtail the
possible damage."

Notes to Editor:
1. The article is due to be published online
(
link
http://www.springerlink.com

) by the American journal
Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology; it will be printed in
May. A copy can be faxed on request. A Greenpeace briefing on the study is
available at:
link
http://www.greenpeace.org



2. The tested GE maize named MON 863 produces a new insecticide called
"modified Cry3Bb1" able to kill a pest insect in the soil (Diabrotica
virgifera). This GE maize also contains a gene coding for antibiotic
resistance.

3. The European Commission granted a license for MON 863 to be used in
feed in August 2005, and subsequently approved it for human consumption in
January 2006.

4. For details, please refer to the Greenpeace paper: "The MON863 case -a
chronicle of systematic deception"
link
http://www.greenpeace.org



5. The analysis team was headed by Professor Siralini from the University
of Caen and included experts from the French independent scientific
organisation CRIIGEN.

For further information please contact:
Christoph Then, Genetic Engineering campaigner, Greenpeace International:
+49 171 878 08 32

Namrata Chowdhary, Greenpeace International Communications: +44 77 2617 5148

Prof. Gilles-Eric Siralini, CRIIGEN : +33 231 56 56 84, criigen@unicaen..fr



Namrata Chowdhary
Greenpeace International Communications
+31 646 1973 27
When in UK: +44 77 2617 5418