US panel unconvinced of StarLink bio-corn safety
December 5, 2000 5:56pm
Source: Reuters
(adds Aventis lawsuit, food industry reax, edits throughout)
By Julie Vorman
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An independent panel of U.S. scientists
Tuesday dealt a blow to Aventis SA's bid to win temporary approval of
StarLink bio-corn for human food by finding that the corn had a
``medium likelihood'' of causing allergic reactions. The group of
physicians, chemists and other scientists concluded that there were
still many unanswered questions about the safety of StarLink, a type
of corn engineered to repel pests. The Environmental Protection
Agency, which appointed the panel, said it would use the 28-page,
highly technical report to guide its decision on the Aventis request.
``EPA will continue its evaluation of the scientific information and
develop the appropriate regulatory approach'' to protect public
health, Stephen Johnson, EPA deputy assistant administrator, said in
a statement.
A spokeswoman for Aventis, the giant Franco-German pharmaceutical
maker and seed company, said the firm had no immediate comment. The
EPA landed in the middle of the controversy over StarLink corn
because of its 1998 decision to approve the corn for use as animal
feed -- but not for human food because of lingering concerns about
health and safety. In September, traces of StarLink were found in
taco shells purchased at a Washington, D.C. area grocery store,
setting off a massive recall of more than 300 kinds of taco shells,
chips, cornmeal and other foods by U.S. companies. Investigators
determined that a portion of the 80 million bushel StarLink crop this
year was accidentally commingled with vast amounts of conventional
corn by farmers, grain elevators and shippers. Aventis launched a
$100 million corn buy-back program, but the company's costs could
soar much higher due to potential liability related to recalls by
food processors and expenses by grain handlers.
A Washington law firm last week filed a class action lawsuit against
Aventis, claiming the contamination has frightened away some foreign
buyers like Japan and South Korea and depressed already-low corn
prices. The lawsuit seeks an undetermined amount of damages for
cleaning grain elevators, farm equipment, storage bins, railcars and
trucks.
ILLNESSES SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED
The science panel's report raised more questions about StarLink
safety, suggesting it may be to blame for rashes, diarrhea and other
allergic reactions reported by some 44 Americans. As many as 14 of
those illnesses may have been caused by StarLink, but further
investigation is needed to rule out other allergens, the report said.
The science panel concluded there was a ``medium likelihood'' that
StarLink's unique Cry9C protein is a potential allergen, based on the
chemical properties of the protein. More data is needed, however, to
analyze allergenicity, the report said. Based on the best available
estimates of StarLink residue in the U.S. diet, there is a ``low
probability'' of allergic reactions, the scientists said. ``There is
need for a better evaluation of the amount of StarLink corn that
could be in the food chain,'' the report said.
The panel also said it was ``highly doubtful'' that much more
StarLink corn would contaminate the U.S. food supply now that
seedmaker Aventis has withdrawn the corn from the market. The report
dismissed many of the arguments Aventis made in seeking a four-year
temporary approval for the corn so that all contaminated supplies can
work their way through food processors, distribution channels and
consumers' pantries. The company contends that StarLink is safe, but
even if it carried a small risk of allergic reactions, only a tiny
amount is present in the overall U.S. food chain.
EPA SEEN RULING AGAINST AVENTIS
Environmentalists said the science panel's report would make it
difficult for the EPA to approve the Aventis request. ``This gives
the EPA plenty of ammunition to delay a decision or to deny Aventis'
petition outright,'' said Becky Goldburg, a biotech expert with
Environmental Defense. ``The overall risk is probably fairly low, but
there is just uncertainty after uncertainty about whether StarLInk
corn is an allergen,'' she added. ``The information is not there for
EPA to make a sound scientific decision at this time.''
Larry Bohlen, a spokesman for Genetically Engineered Food Alert, a
coalition of anti-biotech activist groups, said the panel also
emphasized that the Centers for Disease Control should aggressively
investigate the 44 self-reported illnesses by consumers who ate foods
with corn ingredients. The consumers reported symptoms ranging from
itchiness to breathing problems requiring emergency hospital
treatment. Foodmakers pointed to the panel's determination that only
tiny amounts of StarLink were in the food supply. ``The food industry
welcomes the EPA finding that there is such a modest amount of
StarLink corn in the system that there is a low probability that
consumers could develop an allergy to the corn,'' said Gene
Grabowski, vice president of the Grocery Manufacturers of America, a
trade group that represents some of the nation's biggest food
companies. ``We urge federal regulators to come to an expeditious and
appropriate conclusion on this matter,'' he added.
The EPA said it was working with the Food and Drug Administration and
the U.S. Agriculture Department to monitor the U.S. food supply and
detect any more StarLink corn. The trio of government regulators are
also evaluating what impact food processing has on StarLink residue
and new methods to measure StarLink contamination in processed foods.
^ REUTERS@
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