Examples of Genetically-Manipulated Crop Herbicides That Cause Birth Defects
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Prof. Joe Cummins
Professor Emeritus of Genetics
University of Western Ontario
The herbicide glufosinate (Basta) is being used in conjunction with sugar
beets or canola which have been genetically engineered. This use may be
extensive in Europe. I am enclosing abstracts of articles showing that
glufosinate causes birth defects by killing brain cells in the embryo.
Glufosinate acts by causing the premature death of brain cells in the
embryo by a process called
apoptosis (greek for petals falling from a flower). A teratogen is an agent
that causes birth defects. Glufosinate tolerant canola has been grown in
Canada and sold in the United States since 1995. Currently not only canola
but soybeans, corn and other crops are being grown with glufosinate
resistance.
Approval of the teratogenic herbicide and its genetically engineered crops
on a massive scale seems to have relied on the judgement and human
experimentation undertaken by the Canadian government. However, the public
is not generally aware that the Canadian government agencies are merely the
paid public relations voice of the multinational companies that market
genetically engineered crops and toxic herbicides. For a number of years
the Canadian government bureaucracy has been taking millions from the
companies to support their operations through a "cooperative" research
program. The government bureaucrats serve their rich patrons very well. Our
worst nightmare, government approved harmful genetic combinations is coming
forward.
Scientific Abstracts Forward By Dr. Cummins
"The Herbicide, Glufosinate, is used with millions of acres of crops on
crops including corn, canola and soy it causes birth defects on exposure
of father alone as well as mother!"
I have written a number of previous notes on the danger of the
herbicide ,glufosinate, used with GM and normal crops and false claims
by officials of EU , US and Canada that the herbicide has no harmful
side effects. The previous evidence showed that pregnant females fed
food containing the herbicide gave birth to children with birth defects
both traditional and defects in behavior and learning. Learning defects
were also experienced by young children exposed to the herbicide. Recent
studies of humans exposed to pesticides showed that fathers exposed to
glufosinate gave birth to children with birth defects while most other
pesticides did not produce that impact
(Garcia,A.,Benavides,F.,Fletcher,T. and Orts,E. "Paternal exposure to
pesticides and congenital malformations" Scand J Work Environ Health 24,
473-80,1998).
The glufosinate birth defects suggest that the large chemical
companies have undo influence over government bureaucrats . Such
bureaucrats turn their backs on clear evidence of danger from pesticides
and promote dangerous genetic engineering. We must alert the public and
insure that the dangers are made public.
March 17, 1999
Canada Approved Genetically Modified Canola Tolerant to an Herbicide Causing Birth Defects
Canada has approved genetically engineered canola patented by the multinational chemical company Rhone Poulenc
for their herbicides Bromoxynl and Ioxynil. The herbicide Bromoxynil has a history of controversy in its use after it
was found that it caused birth defects in rats and mice. Its use on cotton in the United States was a source of
controversy while in Canada (where government departments of Agriculture and Health take multimillion dollar
payments from chemical companies) the herbicide was quietly approved and used extensively to control weeds in
grain crops that are innately tolerant to the herbicide. Bromoxynl tolerant canola can be rotated with grain on land
treated with the herbicide which is very persistent in treated soil.
Residues of the teratogenic herbicide are likely to accumulate in the harvested canola oil and in the cattle and pig food
from the residues recovered from pressing canola seed to recover oil. Such pressing residues have also been used as
fertilizer on organic farms a procedure that should be reviewed on the basis of transferring genetic modifications and
teratogenic herbicides. Biotechnology noted that there was a very high likelihood that the herbicide tolerant gene
would be transferred to unpatented canola and to at least seven wild plant species but the transfer to wild plant was a
minimal threat as the resistant species could be controlled by other herbicides as they became weeds. The impact of
use of the genetically modified crop on biodiversity was given brief discussion with no data and no fundamental
knowledge of biodiversity.
Another genetically modified canola, Liberty Ready, also employs a highly teratogenic herbicide glufosinate.
Importers of canola oil or animal feed from pressed seed should be made aware of these developments and that the
products are not labeled. Clearly the Canadian approval process bears the stamp of the millions of dollars from
chemical companies.
The information on approval of Bromoxynil resistant canola was from Plant Biotechnology Canada August 19,1998
http://www.soyinfo.com/haz/defects.shtml