Seed Keepers

["mayo.eh" <mayo.eh@kos.net>]

Title: GMO's and Dr. Arpad Pusztai

Here’s a nutshell version of  Dr. Pusztai’s findings and some other points.  Jeffrey Archer wrote about Dr. Pusztai’s suspension in “Seeds of Deception”, which got good press in Europe and almost none here.  His new book is entitled Genetic Roulette.

ttp://blogs.webmd.com/integrative-medicine-wellness/2007/11/genetically-modified-foods-just-say-no.html


 Hi Elise,

 

You must be thinking of Dr. Arpad Pusztai, PhD.

 

And you're right, much of this crucial information has been 'mysteriously' wiped off the web.

 

Here's a link to Wikipedia on some of that affair:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%81rp%C3%A1d_Pusztai

 

Also I pulled this from:

http://www.psrast.org/pusztai.htm
World renowned scientist lost his job when he warned about GE foods
Dr Arpad Pusztai evoked world wide media attention in August 1998, when he said in British TV that he would not eat genetically engineered food because of the insufficient testing procedures they have undergone.

Pusztai is a world renowned expert on food safety, who worked at UK's leading food safety research lab, the Rowett institute. His statement obviously threatened to damage the then ongoing multimillion PR campaign of the Biotech industry to create public confidence in GE foods. A few days after his public appearance he was suspended and gagged by the research institute where he worked.

 

Pointed out weakness in present food regulations

 

Dr Pusztai's pointed out that substances in Genetically Engineered (GE) foods that have a slow acting effect would not be detected because present regulations do not require long term safety testing. The regulations prescribe an approval procedure based on the principle of substantial equivalence <http://www.psrast.org/subeqow.htm> . In practice this procedure allows very superficially tested foods to be approved. As an illustrative example, he mentioned fresh results from his research on certain pesticidal Lectins (Pusztai is recognized as a world leading expert on Lectins). Pusztai found that rats developed immune system defects and stunted growth after a time period corresponding to 10 years of human life.

 
Humiliating statements displayed about Pusztai
A few days after his appearance on TV and Radio, the Rowett intstitute suspended Pusztai. It was said that the GE potatoes were not intended to be used as food. It was maintained that the results reported by Dr Pusztai were misleading because he had mixed up the results of different studies. In that context it was pointed out that he was old (68), giving the impression of a senile and confused person. It was also said that the research had not been done on GE potatoes but on a mixture of natural potatoes and Lectin. It was indicated in a humiliating way that the quality of Dr Pusztai's research was deficient. The formal reason for his suspension was that he had presented the results publicly before they had been reviewed by other scientists (peer review) as required by the Rowett Institute. At the same time as he was suspended, he was disallowed to speak with the media to defend himself (which would have revealed the misleading information from Rowett Institute).

A scientific committe was asked by the Rowett institute to review the study Pustai referred to. It said there were important deficiencies in the study.

 
Independent scientists confirmed the correctness of Pusztais conclusions
Pusztai then sent the research protocols to 24 independent scientists in different countries. These turned down the conclusions of the review committee and found that his research was of good quality and justified his conclusions. They found that Pusztai had not mixed up any results.

Scientists and physicians (including the undersigned), who had been in touch with Pusztai confirmed that he was perfectly clear-minded with no signs of confusion or memory defects.

 
"Breathtaking impertinence" by Royal society according to Lancet
Then a second review committe was appointed by the Royal Society in UK. It again concluded that Pusztai's results were inconclusive yes even flawed.

A world leading scientific journal found the judgement of the Royal Society "a gesture of breathtaking impertinence" (Lancet, Editorial, May 22, p1769).

Pusztai has pointed out a number of obvious deficencies in this review report, see also the interview below and Dr Pusztai's website <http://www.freenetpages.co.uk/hp/A.Pusztai/correspondence.htm> , where he explains this in detail. (Dr. Puzstai's webpage has been pulled from the web. -Linda)
Harmful GE potatoes would have been approved
Recently Pusztai has also said that the lectin potatoes he had been studying were indeed intended for food although that was denied by the Rowett institute. That was the reason why he wanted to make the alarming results known. Had not Pusztai's long term study revealed the danger, the GE lectin potatoes might very well have turned up on the market, as formally they were "substantially equivalent" with the natural variety, Pusztai said. This case demonstrates the serious insufficiency of the present regulations for food safety that don't demand long term testing of GE foods, see Substantial equivalence versus scientific food safety assessment. <http://www.psrast.org/subeqow.htm> This is the probable reason why great efforts were made to suppress the truth and to "kill" the messenger.

At a recent international conference on Food Safety in Edinburgh, Pusztai was repeatedly attacked and prevented from speaking, see Report about professor Pusztai at the OECD/Edinburgh GE Food Safety Conference in March 2000. <http://www.psrast.org/puszedinb.htm>  

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Comment by PSRAST

It seems obvious from the press statements by the Rowett institute from August 1998, that it changed its story from first saying that Pusztai had mixed up the results (which was not true) to saying that the results were not obtained from genetically manipulated potatoes but from normal potatoes mixed with the harmful substance, Lectin (which also was not true). Later it was said, that Pusztai may be right but more studies are needed. Such changes and contradictory statements demonstrate that the institute was manipulating the truth.
The manipulations were such as to harm Pusztai's credibility. Because Pusztai was gagged by the institute, he could not publicly defend himself. The news about Pusztais "mistakes" was effectively distributed all over the world. People were lead to believe that there was no scientific basis for his warning about GE foods.

As multibillion dollar investments are at stake in the GE food case, drastic actions by the industry to protect these interests are not surprising. Rather it would be contrary to their responsibility towards the owners not to act with maximum force in such a case.

The Rowett institute is formally a charitable and independent institute. But in practice, since the Thathcher government reduced the funding of such research institutes considerably, it has become dependent on the industry. While formally remaining a charitable institute, "Rowett Research Services", a commercial subsidiary of the institute was created. The profit of this subsidiary is donated to the Rowett institute, that therefore in practice is dependent on the industry for its existence. It has later been revealed that Monsanto had given the Rowett Research Services a $224,000 grant prior to Pusztai's interview at BBC.

Considering the dependence of Rowett institute on industrial support, it seems probable that it was persuaded, if not forced to deny the truth and create a cover up story to discredit Pusztai. As Pusztai was the first internationally renowned food safety expert who dared to warn for GE foods, the industry had strong incentives to press hard for "co-operation" by the Rowett institute in disarming this "News bombshell" that shook the whole world.

The strategy obviously was to divert public attention away from the GE food safety issue Pusztai raised, which was actually not dependent on his results. In stead the attention was drawn to disputes about his conclusions and about his competence. In a most deplorable way, the society of scientists contributed to this diversion, apparently doing its best to discredit the messenger in stead of observing the serious problem he addressed.

How many unknown cases are there of scientists who did not have the courage of dr Pusztai and chose, in order not to risk their job and career, to keep quiet about their concerns about the lacking safety of GE foods? Considering that it is an undeniable scientific fact that the GE foods are not safe, it is remarkable that very few food safety experts have made similar comments. Ironically, one who did so, one year after the Pusztai interview, was professor Andrew Chesson, the top scientist at Rowett Institute who held in the axe when he was sacked. He said "Potentially disastrous effects may come from undetected harmful substances in Genetically Modified Foods." (Daily Mail, UK, 13 Sept 1999. See also BBC news 7 sept 1999 <http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/newsid_440000/440352.stm#top> ). Dr Chesson is vice chairman of European Commission scientific committee on animal nutrition. Before this statement he was known as an advocate for food biotechn ology.

For more about industrial suppression of scientific truth, see Dysfunctional science <http://www.psrast.org/crisisofsci.htm>  - Towards a "pseudoscientfic world order"?

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Related articles
New! Leading Scientist sacked after presidential intervention because of critisizing GE foods. <http://www.psrast.org/pusztblair.htm>  A sensational turn of the Arpad Pusztai affair.
Interview with Dr Pusztai <http://www.psrast.org/pusztinterv.htm>  where he tells the story from his perspective.


"Thorkilds page on the Pusztai case" <http://plab.ku.dk/tcbh/Pusztaitcbh.htm> . A Danish scientist, dr Thorkild, has compiled most of the articles and materials associated with the case.

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"Genetically Engineered Food - Safety Problems"

Published by PSRAST

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Global issues <http://www.psrast.org/ctglobal.htm>    Safety issues <http://www.psrast.org/ctsafety.htm>    Alternatives to GE <http://www.psrast.org/alt.htm>    FAQ <http://www.psrast.org/faq.htm>    

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Other relevant links:

http://plab.ku.dk/tcbh/Pusztaitcbh.htm

 

 

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Here is more of the story, including strong support for Dr. Pusztai from his peers in scientific research:

http://plab.ku.dk/tcbh/RowettvsPusztai.htm

 

Potato doctor sacked

Dr. Pusztai from the Rowett Research Institute in Scotland has been barred from all communication and is not allowed to give any explanation of the events.

Go to Thorkild's main page for the Pusztai case with the latest updates <http://plab.ku.dk/tcbh/Pusztaitcbh.htm>

 <http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/health/newsid_149000/149882.stm>  

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Thorkild's page with background information about the events around Dr. Pusztai's suspension in August 1998

This page is edited by Thorkild C. Bøg-Hansen, <http://plab.ku.dk/tcbh/tchb.htm>  PhD, senior associate professor,University of Copenhagen tcbh@biobase.dk. This page had 453 visits between 15 September and 31 December 1998

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Sydney Morning Herald <http://www.smh.com.au/news/9808/14/text/world8.html>   <http://plab.ku.dk/KOPIWWW/RowettvsPusztai.htm> 14 August 1998: "Potato doctor sacked" <http://www.smh.com.au/news/9808/14/text/world8.html>

Lectins hot topic
Link here to the story of the suspension of Dr. Pusztai
Strong support from the scientific community
Come again for my personal viewpoint on the fact that Dr. Pusztai has been barred from all communication and is not allowed to give any explanation of the events

Strong support from scientists

Strong support to Dr. Pusztai from Josef Hoppichler: "...The scientific community has to find out what is going on at the Rowett Research Institute and what is going to happen with the data, reports and investigations. And it is necessary to call the responsible persons and the administration of the Rowett Research Institute to attention to the fact that they made a very large mistake suspending Dr. Pusztai and that it is necessary to correct that mistake. For sure it should also be clarified why Dr. Pusztai is silent..." go to the complete account: "What we may learn from the genetically engineered lectin-potato and the suspension of dr. Pusztai" - by Josef Hoppichler, a member of the Federal Institute for Less-Favoured and Mountainous Areas, Vienna, Austria [10 September 1998] <http://plab.ku.dk/tcbh/HoppichlercommentPusztai.htm> "There is a great concern in the scientific community that a respected investigator has been forced to retire following his efforts to learn more about plant proteins" writes professor Ronald J. Doyle (University of Louisville - USA). Read the full comment <http://plab.ku.dk/tcbh/Doyle.htm> Dr. Ana Carvalho; Dr. Ilka Vasconcelos; Dr. Maria da Guia Silva-Lima; Dr. Renato Moreira; and Dr. Tadeu Oliveira write: <mailto:jtaolive@ufc.br> <mailto:jtaolive@ufc.br> "We are astonished with the news about Dr. Pusztai's suspension and retirement from his work at The Rowett Research Institute! Indeed all of us, Professors at the University of Ceará, Brazil, are here to give our testimonies about the following points: We had an interchange research project sponsored by The British Council that lasted 4 years. Some of us had been at Dr. Pusztai's Lab in The Rowett Research Institute and the example we got from him was of the highest quality concerning scientific level and ethical behaviour; Two among us obtained PhD degree under Dr. Pusztai's supervision and the result of such scientific experience has shown up to be the most fruitful to our University; What we know about Dr. Pusztai's work does not fit to the fact that he would be able either to publish false results or use tangential data to create some sort of distorted reality. This can be evaluated through his life work since his arrival in UK; Because of his work, known by a vast scientific community, it is unbelievable that Dr. Pusztai could be apparently judged exclusively under administrative ground, and condemned to be suspended and retired from work which has been one of the main reasons of his life; We thought that this kind of situation could never happen in countries with strong reputation of defending human rights. However, it seems that even in a distinct social context the fact still remains that when scientists, artists, and philosophers dare to say what does not fit to the interest of the establishment, they have to be silenced. Hopefully, in these days, one has not to be burnt alive!; In all circumstances, the whole scientific community has to be worried concerning the punishment of one of its peers because his findings do not fit into the mainstream and into the interest of EU-politics as it has been already raised. This situation has to be clarified because it represents a danger not only for Dr. Pusztai but for people working all over the world."

"In the scientific community it is very well known worldwide that dr. Pusztai and his team have done excellent work with short and long term nutritional experiments with rats using lectins and at least one line of GM-patatoes containing the GNA gene. One of the parameters they investigated was the resposiveness to mitogenic stimuli of lymphocytes."

LINKS

• Link to Thorkild's update and commentary 1 January 1999 <http://plab.ku.dk/tcbh/Pusztaitcbh.htm>  

• Experiment fuels modified food concern, BBC 10 August 1998 <http://www.desnews.com/cgi-bin/libstory_reg?dn98&amp;9808100179>  

• Research claims genetically modified food threat to immune system <http://www.itn.co.uk/Britain/brit19980810/081006.htm>  

• Altered-gene potatoes hurt rats, report says. Scientist urges more study prior to use by humans.Deseret News Archives, August 10, 1998  <http://www.desnews.com/cgi-bin/libstory_reg?dn98&amp;9808100179>

• The press release from the Rowett Research Institute 12 August 1998 <http://plab.ku.dk/tcbh/PressReleaseRowett.htm>  

• Spud U like, New Scientist, 15 August 1998 <http://www.newscientist.com/ns/980815/nspuds.html>  

• Patent: plant resistance to these insects is produced by inserting into the cells of a plant a gene whose _expression_ causes production of one or more of these lectins in larvicidal amounts.  <http://www.nal.usda.gov/bic/Biotech_Patents/1995patents/05407454.html>

• Josef Hoppichler, Bundesanstalt für Bergbauernfragen (Institute of Less Favoured and Mountainious Areras - Vienna)  <http://www.babf.bmlf.gv.at/> Email: josef.hoppichler@babf.bmlf.gv.at

• Back to Gateway to Lectins "Thorkild's Lectin Page" <http://plab.ku.dk/tcbh/lectin-links.htm>  

• Write to Arpad Pusztai (New E-mail from 20 January 1999). <mailto:A.Pusztai@freenet.co.uk>  

Thorkild's comments to GM food

GM food is an abbreviation for genetically modified food

Unfortunately the experimental basis for the intense and global publicity during August 1998 is not very clear. Presumably the rersults are on experimental feedstuff for rats produced to investigate gut events. In any case we could expect that GM food containing toxic substances from other plants (or animals for that matter) in excess amounts would be completely unsuited for human consumption. It is well known that lectins may be toxic, and several cases of &quot;favism&quot; occur every year because people do not cook beans well enough thus leaving the bean lectin active in the uncooked or insufficiently cooked beans. Potatoes with a transgenic lectin, such as used in the experimental work by Pusztai, would be produced only in order to do such experimental animal research and under the strictest control. I have not heard that such genetically engineered potatoes have ever been intended for human consumption - much less used for human consumption. See also the comment byIain Cubitt: "---so if you put this in a potato and it ends up toxic, why is that such a surprise?" It is my belief that plants with transgenic poisons ar toxins should not be allowed for human consumption. It is my opinion that the experiments performed by Dr Pusztai and his group are very special research experiments aimed to increase our knowledge about processes occurring in the gut. It is outrageous to assume that they were performed in order to produce food for human consumption. I find that dr Pusztai's experiments could not be taken as a general proof that GM food is dangerous. On the other hand, I find that the Rowett Research Institute has completely overreacted by suspending dr Pusztai. Go to Thorkild's update and commentary 1 January 1999 <http://plab.ku.dk/tcbh/Pusztaitcbh.htm>

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This message was brought as a courtesy from Thorkild C. Bøg-Hansen, <http://plab.ku.dk/tcbh/tchb.htm>  PhD, senior associate professor, University of Copenhagen tcbh@biobase.dk

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-------------- Original message from "Elise Lutrick" <seedsaverslist@gmail.com>: --------------


> Several years ago, I saw some studies posted on the net about animals
> being fed diets of GMO things such as soybeans and potatoes, etc. The
> study stated that upon sacrifice the animals exhibited gross
> abnormalities of their internal organs. A while later, I went back
> looking for those studies, and they had disappeared.
>
> Some time later I read about some guy in England who had done such
> studies. As a result, he had lost his position, and had later died
> under suspicious circumstances.
>
> In the last few months I have read that there have been recent similar
> independent studies that have shown similar results. I don't know if
> anyone who matters is paying attention. I sort o f doub t it.
>
> And then there are the studies that indicate that GMO bt corn pollen
> has lethal effects of monarch butterfly larvae.
>
> Elise
>
>
>
> On Sat, Feb 23, 2008 at 11:03 AM, lucy Owsley wrote:
> > Look i am not saying I want GMO beets (or any other GMO crop/plant/animal)
> > But I do think it is going waaaaay out there to think GMO beet pollen is
> > going to be this super thing that will survive years in the soil and
> > suddenly leap out and start pollinating non GMO beets. See the argument is
> > getting so emotional as to be silly. this is exactly what Monsantan wants us
> > to do-freak out and make up stupid arguments to say GMO's are bad. lets
> > stick with reality of seed breeding here. This pollination prob is a lot
> > less severe when you are talking biennials and not annuals and that is what
t; > we are talking about. i am not saying cross pollination with GMO's is not a
> > problem and a big. What i am saying it is not the biggest problem in THIS
> > case. capeche? There have got to be better arguments such as the plan to use
> > 5x more round up because of GMO beets. or Health concerns (have there been
> > any feeding studies done?)
> >
> > I don't think the beets should be grown period and I am quite aware that
> > Monsatan may well take all the heirlooms and pvp them.
> >
> >
> > On Feb 23, 2008, at 11:49 AM, LINDARAY@att.net wrote:
> >
> >
> >
> > H
> >
> >
> > On the contrary, this is informed opposition. I've already got 20+ active
> > years in this GMO drekk. I have excellent reasons for every facet of my
> > position which I shall not waste listmembers' valuable ti me arg uing further.
> > You may keep singing your song until Monsanto runs over you with a tank if
> > you want to.
> >
> >
> > I think we are singing the same song here.
> >
> >
> > Lucy Goodman
> > Boulder Belt Eco-Farm
> > Eaton, OH
> > http://boulderbelt.blogspot.com
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > seedkeepers mailing list
> > seedkeepers@lists.ibiblio.org
> > http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/seedkeepers
> >
> >
> _______________________________________________
> seedkeepers mailing list
> seedkeepers@lists.ibiblio.org
> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/seedkeepers

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