“We were very much surprised by our findings. Until now, it
has been thought almost impossible for Bt proteins to be toxic to
human cells. Now further investigations have to be conducted to find
out how these toxins impact the cells and if combinatorial effects
with other compounds in the food and feed chain have to be taken
into account,” says Gilles-Eric Séralini from the University
of Caen, who supervised the experiments. “In conclusion, these
experiments show that the risks of Bt toxins and of Roundup have
been underestimated.”
The toxicity of the corn itself may have been a surprise,
but not that of Roundup:
These findings are in accordance with several other investigations
highlighting unexpected health risks associated with glyphosate
preparations.
Previous studies,
including ones by Dr. Séralini,
already showed exposure to glysophate (the active ingredient in Roundup)
to be “a risk factor for developing Non-Hodgkin lymphoma”,
and to be toxic to human umbilical, placental, and placental cells with a
that
“is far below agricultural recommendations and corresponds to low levels
of residues in food or feed.”
In Argentina,
Prof. Andrés Carrasco has demonstrated birth defects in amphibians
and there is increasing evidence of human birth defects.
Now we have even more hard evidence of the toxicity of Monsanto’s GM corn
and of Monsanto’s Roundup.
The journal article
is available through Wiley online.
It’s not just the pesticides, it’s the crops themselves.
Gilles-Eric Séralini and colleagues surveyed the state
of research and found
GMOs Linked to Organ Disruption in 19 Studies,
as Jeffrey Smith reports for the Institute for Responsible Technology.
…consuming genetically modified (GM) corn or soybeans leads to significant
organ disruptions in rats and mice, particularly in livers and kidneys.
…9% of the measured parameters, including
blood and urine biochemistry, organ weights, and microscopic analyses
(histopathology), were significantly disrupted in the GM-fed animals. The
kidneys of males fared the worst, with 43.5% of all the changes. The liver
of females followed, with 30.8%. The report, published in Environmental
Sciences Europe on March 1, 2011, confirms that “several convergent
data appear to indicate liver and kidney problems as end points of GMO
diet effects.” The authors point out that livers and kidneys “are
the major reactive organs” in cases of chronic food toxicity.
And these were the corn and soybeans that people eat.
The documentary points out many products in German stores that
include GM soy.
In Argentina, it’s even worse, with increasing numbers of birth defects.
They interview
Prof. Andrés Carrasco about his research on amphibians:
“The hemispheres do not separate, like you can see here.
If you look closely you can see one brain.
Glyphosate can cause this kind of mechanisms, for it is an enzymatic toxin.”
“To human cells glyphosate is already toxic in a very low dose.
A farmer uses a much higher dose on the field.
Roundup is even more toxic than glysophate,
for that is only one of the ingredients in Roundup.”
Roundup says none of this applies to humans and Roundup is safe.
Seralini
says:
Who should you believe?
A corporation repeatedly convicted of deception,
or scientists who say that GM crops
cause liver and kidney damage in animals,
according to research using Monsanto’s own data.
A report published in the International Journal of Microbiology has verified once again that Monsanto’s genetically modified (GM) crops are causing severe health problems. A legal challenge issued against Monsanto forced the multi-national agriculture giant to release raw data revealing that animals fed its patented GM corn suffered liver and kidney damage within just three months.
Adding to the mounting evidence that GM crops are dangerous all around, this information provides a damning indictment against Monsanto which continually insists that its GM products are safe. Not only are GM crops proving disastrous for the environment, but study after study, including those conducted by Monsanto itself, is showing that GM foods are detrimental to health.
The researchers used Monsanto’s own data, which was for a period
of ingestion of only 90 days, and
reached these conclusions:
We therefore conclude that our data strongly suggests that these GM
maize varieties induce a state of hepatorenal [liver and kidney] toxicity.
This can be due
to the new pesticides (herbicide or insecticide) present specifically
in each type of GM maize, although unintended metabolic effects due
to the mutagenic properties of the GM transformation process cannot
be excluded [42]. All three GM maize varieties contain a distinctly
different pesticide residue associated with their particular GM event
(glyphosate and AMPA in NK 603, modified Cry1Ab in MON 810, modified
Cry3Bb1 in MON 863).
Why should GM foods have this sort of effect?
These substances have never before been an integral part of the human
or animal diet and therefore their health consequences for those who
consume them, especially over long time periods are currently unknown.
Humans generally have centuries of experience with most other foods,
and have rejected or developed appropriate preparation methods for those
that are toxic.
Plus until recently humans weren’t in the habit of eating pesticides
that had been deliberately engineered to be toxic to other species.
Especially without testing first to see if they might be toxic to humans….
But remember, while the evidence mounts that Monsanto is poisoning the world’s
food supply, Forbes just named Monsanto company of the year!
All this other stuff is just economic externalities, and profit is all that matters!
For example, French scientists, Drs. Seralini and Benacour, have
published a
number of scientific papers about the harmful effects
of Roundup and its ingredients on human embryonic and
placental cells. A Swedish scientific team lead by Dr. Akerman published
an epidemiological study disclosing that exposure
to glyphosate is a risk factor for developing Non-Hodgkin
lymphoma. Dr. Busbee – an American scientist – demonstrated
alterations in estrogen-regulated genes after exposure to dilute
concentrations of glyphosate.
We have evaluated the toxicity of four glyphosate (G)-based herbicides in
Roundup (R) formulations, from 105 times dilutions, on three different
human cell types. This dilution level is far below agricultural
recommendations and corresponds to low levels of residues in food or
feed. The formulations have been compared to G alone and with its main
metabolite AMPA or with one known adjuvant of R formulations, POEA. HUVEC
primary neonate umbilical cord vein cells have been tested with 293
embryonic kidney and JEG3 placental cell lines. All R formulations cause
total cell death within 24 h, through an inhibition of the mitochondrial
succinate dehydrogenase activity, and necrosis, by release of cytosolic
adenylate kinase measuring membrane damage.
And it gets even better:
The deleterious effects are not proportional to G concentrations but rather depend on the nature of the adjuvants. AMPA and POEA separately and synergistically damage cell membranes like R but at different concentrations. Their mixtures are generally even more harmful with G. In conclusion, the R adjuvants like POEA change human cell permeability and amplify toxicity induced already by G, through apoptosis and necrosis. The real threshold of G toxicity must take into account the presence of adjuvants but also G metabolism and time-amplified effects or bioaccumulation.
Glysophate makes other chemicals even more toxic, and remember Glysophate
doesn’t break down rapidly and tends to accumulate in organisms.
Organisms such as you and your children.
has been thought almost impossible for Bt proteins to be toxic to human cells. Now further investigations have to be conducted to find out how these toxins impact the cells and if combinatorial effects with other compounds in the food and feed chain have to be taken into account,” says Gilles-Eric Séralini from the University of Caen, who supervised the experiments. “In conclusion, these experiments show that the risks of Bt toxins and of Roundup have been underestimated.”
