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[SANET-MG] Bt crops make you sick
ISIS Press Release 18/04/06
More Illnesses Linked to Bt Crops
Further evidence has emerged on the link between common transgenic
proteins and serious allergic reactions while regulators turn a deaf ear
and approve yet more planting. Dr. Mae-Wan Ho
A fully referenced version of this articles is posted on ISIS members’
website. Details here
The same transgenic proteins implicated in two different GM crops
We recently reported illnesses and deaths among villagers of south
Mindanao in the Philippines that are suspected of being linked to the
genetically modified ‘Bt’ maize with an insecticidal protein from the
soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis [1] (“GM ban long overdue, five
deaths and dozens ill in the Philippines”, SiS 29).
Since then, similar illnesses are reported to have occurred in Madhya
Pradesh, central India, as a result of exposure to ‘Bt’ cotton
genetically modified with the same or similar insecticidal protein(s).
India began commercial planting of Bt cotton in 2002/03 with 38 038 ha
(0.78 percent of hybrid area), increasing to 6.4 percent and 11.65
percent respectively in 2003/4 and 2004/5. Currently, nearly 9 million
ha of cotton is grown in India, 2.8 million hybrid cotton.
Madhya Pradesh is India’s fifth largest cotton producing state, with
Malwa and Nimad the main cotton growing regions. The Bt cotton varieties
planted were developed by Monsanto, and carry the insecticidal Cry1Ac
protein (Bollgard) or both Cry1Ac and Cry1Ab proteins (Bollgard II),
according to an article on the industry’s website [2].
Farmers from the Nimad region in Western Madhya Pradesh began
complaining of health hazards after Bt cotton was planted. This prompted
a three-member team representing a coalition of non-government
organisations to carry out a preliminary survey in six villages in Nimad
region between October and December 2005.
Similar symptoms
The team interviewed 23 of the farm and factory workers who fell ill
after having handled Bt cotton. All had itching skin, 20 had eruptions
on the body, and 13 had swollen faces. In some cases, the itching was so
bad that they had to discontinue work, or take anti-allergy medicine in
order to be able to work.
The survey resulted in a report which concluded [3]: “All the evidence
gathered during the investigation shows that Bt has been causing skin,
upper respiratory tract and eye allergy among persons exposed to
cotton... The allergy is not restricted to farm labourers involved in
picking cotton but has affected labourers involved in loading and
unloading Bt from villages to market, those involved in its weighing,
labourers working in ginning factories, people who carried out other
operations in the field of Bt cotton, or farmers who stored cotton in
their homes etc.”
The team consisted of Dr. Ashish Gupta of Jan Swasthya Abhiyan (People’s
Health Movement, India); Ashish Mandloi, a graduate of Barwani College
working with Narmada Bachao Anolan (Save Narmada River Movement) and
associate of the National Alliance of Peoples’ Movements; and Amulya
Nidhi, a health activist working in Maharastra and Madhya Pradesh
specializing in Urban and Rural community Development, and associated
with Shilpi Trust and Jan Swasthya Abhiyan.
The survey covered 6 villages in the Barwani and Dhar districts of Nimad
region in Madhya Pradesh, interviewing various groups of people involved
in handling cotton - women picking cotton, labourers loading-unloading
cotton, ginning factory workers - as well as a local doctor and an
agricultural scientist.
Allergy symptoms in farm workers and other workers handling Bt cotton
The team found allergy symptoms in people in direct contact with Bt
cotton on their hands, feet, face, in their eyes and nose, with some
becoming “very severely ill.”
The skin was the most common site of allergy: itching, redness,
eruptions and swelling. Typically, after the first 4-5 hours of
exposure, most people complained of itching on the face and the hand.
Soon, the itching increased and by the time they finish the day’s work,
they had redness on the hands and face and swelling of the face. After
continued exposure of one to two days, small white eruptions would
appear, most often on the face. The symptoms began to subside after
varying periods from four to five days up to five to six months, but
black discolouration would show on the skin.
The people affected did not have previous history of allergies even
though they were involved in picking cotton earlier.
Those who had more severe symptoms of the skin tend also to have
associated allergies of eyes and respiratory tract. Eye irritation,
involving itching, redness, swelling and watery eyes affected 11 of the
23 individuals; 9 had upper respiratory symptoms of watering from the
nose and excessive sneezing. Three had mild symptoms, while 10 each had
severe and moderate symptoms respectively.
One woman had to be removed from the fields and taken to Barwani
District Hospital where she remained for 9 days.
Cotton fibre appeared to be causing the allergy. (In the case of the Bt
maize in the Philippines, the pollen was suspected to be the main
culprit.) The owner of the ginning factory Mr. Sunil Patidar said that
symptoms like itching, redness of eyes, watering of eyes and cough were
found in labourers in his factory. Most of the labourers were having
problems, and the year before, it was even more prevalent. He said that
was why labourers were not ready to unload the cotton-loaded truck from
Maharastra.
The labourers working in different ginning factories said itching of the
whole body was very common, and only when they took Tab. Avil (a common
anti-allergy medicine) every day were they able to work.
Kalibai of Kothra said she has been working for 20 years picking cotton
and never had any symptoms until 2004, when she suffered very bad
allergy from picking Bt cotton.
Dr. Ramesh Jar of Saigaon, Ayurvedic doctor, has been practicing in
Aawli, Tal Thikri in District Barwani. He said he has already received
around 150 cases of allergy from two villages of Aawli and Saigaon in
2005. In 2004, he had around 100 cases. He is prescribing Dexona
injection and Levocetrigen for skin and anti allergic drops for eyes.
Dr. Debashish Baner, an agricultural scientist, thinks that Bt cotton
produces Bt toxin in all tissues including cotton fibres.
The team is demanding a government enquiry; but that seems to have
fallen on deaf ears so far.
Bt bacteria and spores were previously linked to allergic reactions
Bt toxins come from the soil bacterium Bacilllus thuringiensis (Bt),
common strains of which produce a large family of insecticide Cry
proteins each targeting a different range of insect pests. Strains of Bt
have been used as sprays to control insect pests in the United States
for many years before transgenic Bt crops were created.
A study published in 1999 funded by the US Environment Protection Agency
found that exposure to the Bt sprays “may lead to allergic skin
sensitisation and induction of IgE and IgG antibodies or both” [5].
Farm workers who picked vegetables that required Bt spraying were
evaluated before and after exposure to Bt spray, and one and four months
afterwards. Two groups of low, and medium exposure workers not directly
exposed to Bt spray, but working at different distances from the sprayed
fields were also assessed. Investigations included questionnaires,
nasal/mouth lavages, assessment of ventilatory function, and skin tests.
To authenticate exposure to the organism present in the commercial
preparation, bacteria isolated from lavage specimens were tested for Bt
genes by DNA-DNA hybridisation. Blood immunoglobulin G and IgE responses
to spore and vegetative Bt extracts were assayed.
Positive skin-prick tests to several spore extracts were seen chiefly in
exposed workers. In particular, there was a significant increase in the
number of positive skin tests to spore extracts one and four months
after exposure to Bt spray. The number of positive skin test responses
was also significantly greater in high- than in low- or medium-exposure
group of workers. The majority of nasal lavage cultures from exposed
workers was positive for the commercial Bt organism as demonstrated by
specific molecular genetic probes. Specific IgE antibodies were present
in more workers from the high-exposure group than from low- and
medium-exposure groups. Specific IgG antibodies also occurred more
frequently in the high- than in the low-exposure group.
In a previous public health survey of a large number of individuals
exposed to a massive Bt pesticide spraying programme [6], some of the
symptoms recorded include rash and deep swelling. One worker developed
inflammation of the skin, itching, swelling and reddening of the skin
with redness of the eyes. Bt was cultured from the red eyes.
In 1992, Bt was used in an Asian gypsy moth control programme, and was
found to be associated with classical allergic rhinitis (inflammation of
the nasal mucosa) symptoms, exacerbations of asthma, and skin reactions
among exposed individuals reporting possible health effects after the
spraying operations [7]. Similar findings occurred during another Bt
spraying in the spring of 1994 [8].
Allergens trigger 75 percent of asthma cases
Allergenicity is of particular concern because approximately 75 percent
of asthma cases are triggered by allergens [9] and illnesses and deaths
due to asthma have rocketed in recent years. Asthma deaths tripled in
the United States from 1 674 in 1977 to 5 438 in 1998. The costs of
asthma doubled from $6.2 billion in 1990 to $12.7 billion in 2000 [10].
Bt crops were first introduced in the United States in 1996, and have
expanded substantially in acreage since, with little or no further
research on the toxicity or allergenicity of the Cry proteins released
in greater and greater abundance into the environment. Limited studies
carried out by a research team in Cuba showed that Cry1Ac is a powerful
immunogen, and when fed to mice, induced antibody responses similar to
those obtained with the cholera toxin. Furthermore, Cry1Ac actively
binds to the inner surface of the mouse small intestine, especially to
the ‘brush border’ membranes on the cells lining the small intestine [11].
It has also been shown that all the Cry proteins in Bt crops have amino
acid sequence similarities to known allergens [12-14], and are hence
potential allergens.
Regulators are guilty of gross negligence
Meanwhile, the biotech industry has been aggressively promoting GM crops
worldwide, especially those with Bt biopesticide and in developing
countries like India and the Philippines. The latest survey carried out
by the industry-funded group ISAAA claims that the global area given
over to GM crops has increased from 81 million ha in 2004 to 90 million
ha in 2005 [15]. Bt crops now comprise 29 percent of the total (18
percent Bt, and 11 percent stacked Bt and herbicide tolerance).
Regulators continue to approve Bt crops, despite the fact that
successive surveys carried out both by scientists and by non-government
organisations have demonstrated that Bt crops have failed to match the
performance of local varieties [16] and farmers who bought into the
aggressive propaganda have ended up in debt, and worse, suicide [17-18],
so much so that an “agrarian crisis” was declared in Maharastra.
The latest evidence of serious health impacts linked to Bt crops comes
in corroboration of previous findings dating back to the 1980s that
should have halted the development and approval of Bt crops then.
By now, it is simply gross negligence not to impose a ban on further
releases of Bt crops until they have been proven safe by a thoroughly
independent enquiry.
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