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Jeffrey M Smith lecture in Hedon, Monday 18.6.07.
Here are some notes on Jeffrey's highly informative and disturbing talk. It is hoped the talk will be distributable on dvd soon. Please see his website. (Any errors in these notes are mine, md)
Independence FROM America Party - July 4th Menwith Hilll
first CAAT meeting Friends Meeting House, Wed. 11th July, 7.30pm.
Masterpeace festival, the Dales, 27-29 July
Bombing Iran? Cenotaph, Hull 5.00pm
The next day, Pusztai was fired from his post after 35 years and his 20-member research team disbanded. This is a taste of the power the GM transnational companies wield.
Eg, Monsanto, in 2001, offered bribes to 140 Indonesian officials to get GMO's (genetically modified organisms) into the country. American law sued Monsanto and they were fined $1.5 million.
Arpad's Shocker - the most shocking thing he came across was when Prof James asked him to look over the 6-700 pages of submissions from various biotech companies. This was to go to a 12 member committee for approval to allow GM crops and products into Britain. Arpad knew the committee ould not read the documents so asked how long he had to evaluate them: "You have 2 and a half hours". His conclusions were that their research was so poor, flimsy and superficial! I was doing safety studies. [Arpad and wife Susan has spent 2 years designing GM protocols]. They were doing the minimum to get their products on to the shelves."
Eventually Arpad's work was published in the Lancet (despite subversive tactics) Rats fed on GM potatoes developed a doubling of their stomach lining sustaining damage to their liver and testicles among other effects.
In Genetic Roulette, Jeffrey Smith is looking to get the wide array of GM messages on health risks across to decision makers. He identifies 65 health risks, 20 actually adverse and 40 theoretical, ie, they remain unexamined. He says thet "The current regulations are incompetent at identifying MOST of the health risks."GM science is an exercise in "how researchers AVOID getting proper answers." The GM companies have "BAD SCIENCE down to a science!" They have spent in advertising over $250 milloin to convinve the country that GM will gfeed the wolrd. He quotes scientists as saying it is "almost immoral to say GM is wrong!" You would be thought "ALIEN" or "DISLOYAL".
The process he described was illuminating. It is not a precise science. The GM sciuentists blast millions of cells with a "gene gun". millions of these genes hit cells and a number insert themselves successfully into the DNA strand - somewhere. the gene inculdes antibiotic resistance. This means they can hit all the cells with the antibiotic and those which survive are the "successful" GM cells. these they isolate and clone to get larger numbers. Jeffrey ponts out that there is "massive collateral damage to the DNA and to various genes." This means GM is a science which is full of "unpredicted DNA consequences."
Recent studies suggest that DNA reacts holisitcally to even one new gene. Up to 5% of it changes automatically. Claims that a Bt (biotech=GM) pesticide is destroyed by the stomach are untrue. Bt genes survive digestion.
India: 100s of labourers are allergic to Bt cotton. They have identical symptoms to a populated area sprayed in the USA with the pesticide concerned.
India: Many thousands of sheep grazing on GM affected crops have died. The government of Andra Pradesh has advised farnmers not to expose their livestock, including sheep, cattle and goats, all of which appear to be affected, to these areas.
Germany: 12 cows died after eating Bt maize.
A Monsanto study on rats fed Bt corn showed liver and kidney damage and other diseases. Greeen peace got this study in Germany only by suing.
60 physical difference show up in proper studies.
1) DNA damage
2) new proteins formed may be harmful
3) the GM protein may be alteresd, as unintended RNA sequences create unintended proteins
4) Herbicide tolerant crops mean increased use of herbicides as genes spread
5) Gene transfer between organisms may wreak havoc.
Current Assessment - There is NO post-market surveillance. Crops, animals, us - get sick? Tough. In 1999, Monsanto executives were asked what their dream was: to have 100% GM seed globally. The Bt conference worked on ways to achieve 95% of this in 5 years, ie by 2004!
Luckily the ban on Pusztai was lifted and hundreds of articles helped lead to the removal of GMO's from the EU, though they are still used.
More anon, martin.
hull [at] greenparty [dot] org [dot] uk - feedback
Published and Promoted by M. Deane on behalf of Hull & East Riding Green Party, 106 Belvoir Street, HUll, HU5 3LR.