Source: The SEAMEO SEARCA Biotechnology Information Center

Philippines Department of Agriculture - Bureau of Plant Industry
Press Release:
CLAIMED LINK BETWEEN GM CROP AND ILLNESS DOUBTFUL
05-Mar-2004

Manila, Philippines - The Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI), the Philippine agency regulating GM crops, views with great concern the report of Dr. Terje Traavik of Norway on the alleged link of Bt corn to illness and increased immunologic response to Bt protein among 39 farmers in Mindanao. The immunologic response to Bt protein could have been caused by the handling of soils by these farmers because Bt is abundant in Philippine soils. Bt protein is not present in the pollen of the approved Bt corn variety, the pollen is the alleged source of the claimed immunologic response.

The BPI has made a thorough review of the safety of Bt corn to human and animals. No toxic or allergenic effect is associated with the approved Bt corn variety. The Bt protein in Bt corn becomes pesticidal only inside the gut of the larva of butterflies and their relatives. Contrary to claims made by these same farmers, Bt corn does not emit unusual odor during flowering.

Nowhere has any adverse human health effect of the Bt corn been reported by countries planting Bt corn in millions of hectares. In 2003, more than 10,000 hectares have been planted to Bt corn in the Philippines by thousands of farmers. No one of these thousands of Bt corn farmers has reported a similar incident claimed in the press by Dr. Traavik. Nonetheless, the BPI enjoins Dr. Traavik to formally submit his data for thorough evaluation. The Department of Agriculture regulations provide that BPI revisits the risk assessment of approved GM crops upon receipt of any new information.

Meantime, the BPI enjoins Dr. Traavik from making public announcement on what he admits as inconclusive results which apparently is causing unwarranted public panic. (Philippines Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Plant Industry Biotechnology Core Team)

'BT' TOXIN FOUND IN B'LAANS' BLOOD
by Romer S. Sarmiento
Philippines TODAY
05-Mar-2004

GENERAL SANTOS CITY - A Norwegian scientist disclosed here on Thursday an alarming finding that Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) toxic traces were found in the blood samples of several persons living near a Bt-corn field in a remote village of South Cotabato.

Dr. Terje Traavik, a scientist from the Norwegian Institute of Gene Ecology, told reporters here that traces of Bt toxin were discovered in the blood samples of the B'laan natives living in barangay Landan in Polomolok, South Cotabato.

"My research showed that footprints of Bt toxin were found in the blood samples [of those people living near the Bt corn field]," he said.

However, he quickly added that its difficult to conclude whether the traces of Bt toxin found in the blood samples taken from the residents was a result of the individuals' exposure to Bt-corn field, stressing, "I've taken the tests on the blood samples two months after the residents complained of various symptoms."

In August 8 last year, about 100 residents in far-flung barangay Landan were documented to have been suffering from headache, dizziness, extreme stomach pain, vomiting and allergies, about three months after local farmers planted some hectares with Monsanto's Yieldgard 818, the firm's Bt corn variety.

Sister Susan Bolanio, director of the Social Action Center of the diocese of Marbel, said the residents claimed that their sickness was a result of the planting of Monsanto's Bt-corn variety in their village.

But Dr. Edwin Dipus, Polomolok health officer, days later wrote that the cause of the illnesses of the examined 96 patients could not be directly linked to their exposure to the transgenic plant.

Following this, on October 9, local church workers facilitated the blood sampling of 38 villagers, whose specimens were later sent to Traavik's laboratory at the University of Tromso in Norway.

A paper given to reporters containing Traavik's interpretation of the test said: "Specific serum IgG antibodies show that individual has been exposed to antigen, i.e. Bt toxin, during its lifetime."

Moreover, it said that "specific IgA and IgM antibodies show that the individual exposure to Bt toxin, during the last few months."

Antibodies, Traavik explained, indicate exposure to Bt toxin.

But when pressed if the traces of Bt toxin in the blood samples were the result of the natives' exposure to the Bt-corn field in their village, Traavik said this has yet to be conclusively proven.

"Scientifically, it's fully impossible that other elements may cause the diseases complained earlier by the residents. What I'm sure, however, is that I discovered footprints of the Bt toxin in their blood samples. Whether the traces of Bt toxin came from the Bt corn planted in their village, that I cannot conclude," Traavik said.

"It's difficult to completely conclude if the Bt toxin, indeed, came from the Bt corn. We need to conduct further researches on that. However, this alarming finding should serve as early warning that it [Bt corn] could be harmful to our health," the scientist added.

Owing to his finding, Traavik called for the observance of the Cartagena Protocol among the countries in the world. The protocol strongly promotes precautionary measure, wherein GMOs should not be released to the environment until studies overwhelmingly prove that they are safe for humans and the environment.

A farmer leader here who attended the press conference, Felix Cordero, of the Sinag Multipurpose Cooperative, refused to believe that Bt corn can cause ill effects to human health and the environment.

"I personally ate last year boiled Bt corn planted in my farm but I did not feel any ill effects," Cordero told reporters.

Monsanto officials here brushed aside the findings of Traavik and recommended an independent study about the matter.

"We really don't know how they were able to determine such findings. I think it's a biased result, considering that they came from those opposing our product," Franciso Camacho, Monsanto's technology development executive here, said.

He said the credibility of findings should be substantiated, especially the process by which the blood samples were taken.

"We have to make sure that the samples were taken properly and that the process of the analysis was based on accepted scientific standards," he said.

Camacho also said the alleged infection of Landan residents from the Bt corn plants was the only report they received out of the hundreds of sites planted with Bt corn in this city and nearby South Cotabato.

A University of the Philippines-Manila professor of medical microbiology and microbial immunology, meanwhile, cautioned that Traavik's finding needs to be evaluated since she said it is a "serious allegation."

"The statement made by Norwegian scientist Terje Traavik that 'blood samples from 39 people in Southern Philippines carried increased levels of three different target antibodies showing evidence of an immune reaction to the Bt toxin built into the maize gene to combat pests' needs to be evaluated based on the basic principles of immunology and immunobiology," said Dr. Nina Gloriani Barzaga of the UP College of Public Health.

"Traavik needs to show pertinent scientific data that establish his claims, before making press releases and unduly causing panic to the public," she added.

She stressed that it is important that Traavik "specify which isotypes of antibodies were found to be increased in these individuals, the levels of increases in these individuals, the specific antigenic epitopes that these antibodies recognized."

Moreover, she said, his data should also be able to establish that "the presence of these antibodies correlated with clinical signs and symptoms of hypersensitivity [or any biologic activity] among these individuals."

"It is also important for Traavik to indicate what types of tests were performed, and in which laboratories these tests were performed. There are accepted standardized and validated procedures used in any allergenicity testing," Barzaga said.

She said the MON 810 corn, which is sold as Dekalb 818 YG in the Philippines, has the Bacillus thuringiensis toxin Cry 1Ab, which Traavik referred to as the protein that the Filipinos generated an immune reaction to.

"This is a serious allegation and Traavik should be able to explain convincingly, how Bt maize pollen, which is known not to carry the toxin, could have sensitized these Filipinos against the Bt Cry 1Ab," she said.

B'LAAN FARMER BLAMES GMO CORN FOR COUGHS, NAUSEA, EVEN RASHES
05-Mar-2004
Manila Bulletin

POLOMOLOK, South Cotabato - Farmer Samuel Malayon, 49, still remembers the stench from a flowering Bacillus Thuringiensis (Bt) cornfield beside his house in Purok 3, Sitio Kalyong, when he woke up one morning in mid-July last year.

Malayon said the smell that reportedly had striking similarities with that of a pesticide. Two days later, he and five other members of his household, were down with high fever, colds, cough, skin irritations and persistent vomiting.

Eight months passed and Malayon still appears sick and a week each time in separate hospitals in Polomolok and nearby General Santo City.

Malayon was among the 106 lumad (in dangerous people) residents, mostly elderly and children, who were treated on August 8 last year for alleged infections caused by the pollen of 60-day old Bt corn planted in at least two sites in the area.

Norwegian scientist Dr. Terje Traavik of the University of Tromso in Norway has confirmed that Malayon and the 37 other lumads whose blood samples were taken last year were found positive of exposure to the Bt toxin.

Malayon's last visit to the Polomok Districk Hospital, official records indicate, was last February 15 when he was placed under observation for 24 hours due to peptic ulcer.

He was also hospitalized sometimes last year in General Santos City for supposed amoeba infection.

However, Malayon claimed he had never been into such condition since his entire family-his wife, three daughters and two-month old granddaughter-fell ill in July last year after getting exposed to the one-hectare Bt corn plantation beside his house.

"I really don't know what is happening to me and I can't exactly explain what I'm really feeling right now. I'm very weak and I could no longer work," he said in Visayan during an interview with reporters here last Saturday.

Pablo Senon, chair of the Kalyong Community Initiative Action Group and one of the residents downed by the Bt corn, claimed they have also felt changes in their health condition after the July incident.

GENETICALLY MODIFIED CROPS AND ILLNESS LINKED
04-Mar-2004
Manila Bulletin

The recently planted rows pineapple plants in the one a half, hectare field on one side of the Malayon family home look neat and well-tended, but are otherwise not really worth a second glance.

But what occurred last year on and around this plot in Kalyong village, on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao, is threatening to turn this unremarkable field into a battleground in the war over genetically modified crops.

For the first time there are indications that the pollen from the bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) maize sown here last year may have contributed to human illness.

Dr. Terje Traavik, the scientific director of the Norwegian Institute of Gene Ecology, who was asked last October to analyse blood samples from 39 of the 100 people who fell ill, has said that a link might exist between GM crops and human health.

"My interpretation is there is a coincidence in time between two different phenomena," he said. However, he stressed that more tests were needed before a more definite conclusion could be drawn.

The landowners, government officials and Monsanto, the multinational company that provided the seeds planted on the plot, insist the corn is not the cause. They claim that the villagers are being manipulated by anti-GM campaigners.

Villagers say that trouble began in July last year when the genetically engineered maize plants started flowering.

"There was this really pungent smell that got into our throats," said Maryjane Malayon." It was like we were breathing in pesticides."

Her sister, Amaniel, their parents Samuel and Merlina and Maryjane 's nine-month-old daughter, Eileen, began coughing, vomiting, feeling dizzy and suffering from head and stomach aches.

Within days, people living a little further away, on the other side of the dusty road that runs through this village on the slopes of the remote 2,300m volcano Mount Matutum, were experiencing similar symptoms. Pablo Semon, a community leader, says about 100 people were affected.

Maryjane says situation got so bad that the family was forced to move to a relative's home three miles down the mountain.

"We were the only ones who moved because we were so close," she explains. "But within a week we had all recovered."

A villager who had no home at the time, Bernhard Nanquil, says he rented the Malayon home after they left.

"Within a week I too was sick with a stomach ache and diarrhea." Others noticed that their livestock was suffering." One day the horse ate some of the corn plants and its appetite disappeared," said Nestor Catoran. "The belly swelled, its mouth started frothing and it slowly died." Villagers are linking the corn to the deaths of four other horses, which were disposed of without any analysis.

However, all the villagers are convinced that the corn is in some way responsible for their illness.

One of the owners of the land, Sensie Victoriano, accepts that the villagers fell ill, but laughs at suggestions it was because of the corn, tens of thousands of acres of which were cultivated across the country last year with no resulting accusations.

Ms. Victoriano blames "a group of activists who are against GMOs."

Dr. Traavik, who described himself as a GMO sceptic and not an opponent, says it is highly unlikely the Bt toxin was the only cause of the villagers' sickness.

There's no illness that's caused by only one factor," he said.

"What happened in there (Kalyong) could have been an underlying viral infection that could explain the symptoms, but that does not exclude the possibility that this has been exacerbated by a new allergenic protein from the Bt corn."

The head of the corn programme at the department of agriculture, Dr. Artemio Salazar, has no time for the villagers' allegations.

"The phenomenon-the supposedly allergenic reaction-was also occurring in areas where there was no Bt corn," he said yesterday, without being able to name any of the other regions.

One of his microbiology experts, Dr. Nina Barzaga, from the University of the Philippines, added: "We have to see the results."

But I think they're trying to create some panic… the Bt toxin has never been associated with any sickness anywhere in the world.

Dr. Travik said he would be very willing to share his results with Dr. Barzaga but cautioned against saying there had never been problems with Bt maize.

Monsanto was not available for comment yesterday but last week said that it was extremely unlikely that the maize was responsible for ill health in the village.

"There have been no documented cases of allergic reactions to Bt maize after seven years of broad commercial use on millions of hectares in the US, Canada, Argentina, Spain and South Africa, starting in 1996," a spokesman told Reuters. (Guardian News Service)

STUDY RESULT NOT FINAL PROOF BT CORN HARMFUL TO FARMERS
02-Mar-2004
BusinessWorld

Further study is needed to determine whether the cultivation of genetically modified corn toxic to pests is directly linked to the discovery of toxin antibodies in Filipino farmers.

A Norwegian scientist who reported that 39 farmers in Polomok, South Cotabato may have been affected by Bt corn yesterday said it still has to be determined if there is a link between the time of planting and the production of antibodies against the Bacillus thurigensis (Bt) toxin carried by the Maize.

But Dr. Terje Traavik, a scientist from the Norwegian Institute of Gene Ecology, maintained that his study could be taken as "early warning" for the Philippines to rethink its commercialization of Bt corn.

"The coincidence in time may or may not show a cause and effect relationship between the production of antibodies against Bt toxin and the diseases suffered by farmers. We never insinuated that we have come up with a study of cause and effect," Mr. Traavik yesterday told a press briefing sponsored by the South East Asia Regional Initiatives for Community Empowerment (SEARICE).

Mr. Traavik was commissioned by SEARICE to undertake the study after church workers in Sitio Kalyong said several residents living around a Bt corn field suffered "unusual or abnormal health problems."

Sister Susan Bolanio of the Diocese of Marbel said the health problems occurred during the flowering of the Bt corn plants. "Residents said the odor of the [Bt corn] pollen smelled like chemicals which made them feel dizzy, suffer severe headaches, chest pains and vomiting," Ms. Bolanio said.

Pablo Senon, who planted Bt corn in Polomolok, said he developed diarrhea, headache, and rashes on his face when the Bt corn plants started flowering.

"My face was itchy and it felt like burning. Most of those who planted Bt corn did not develop these symptoms after planting the crop. But like me, they felt the symptoms when the Bt corn plants were flowering," Mr. Senon said in the vernacular.

Mr. Traavik does not discount the possibility that the Polomolok farmers may have had viral infections prior to the time when the Bt corn plants started flowering.

From the blood samples, the Norwegian scientist found that the farmers developed three antibodies-IgG, IgA and IgM-which indicate the farmers were exposed to an antigen which could possibly be Bt toxin.

Antibodies are proteins produced by the body to protect itself from foreign substances such as bacteria or viruses.

Biotechnologists and microbiologists yesterday criticized Mr. Traavik and said he should undertake further evaluation of his findings.

"Traavik needs to show pertinent scientific data that establish his claims, before making press releases and unduly causing panic to the public," Nina Gloriani Bargaza, professor of Medical Microbiology & Microbial Immunology at the University of the Philippines-Manila, said in a statement.

However, UP toxicologist Romeo Quijano and Mr. Traavik called on the government to conduct regular monitoring of areas where genetically modified crops are planted.

"You will never really know the level of exposure unless you monitor [these areas] regularly," Mr. Traavik.

Monsanto Philippines, Inc., developer of the Bt corn variety YieldGard, has said some 10,000 hectares of farm lands in Regions I and II and in Mindanao have been planted to Bt corn.

FARMERS AWAIT RESULTS OF BT CORN STUDY
by Hernani P. de Leon
BusinessWorld
01-Mar- 2004

DAVAO CITY - Farmers residing in areas where Bt corn is planted are confused over a report that 39 of them carry traces of the plant's anti-pest toxins.

The groups involved in the research, announced in a conference on biodiversity in Kuala Lumpur, have yet to inform the farmers as to who among them were in the list.

Sources from environmental group operating in South Cotabato and in this city said the farmers and the local groups against Bt corn were never asked for prior consent before the findings were released.

Another concern is what to do next, since health hazards from a genetically altered crop is something that local medical personnel are unfamiliar with. Another source noted a similar case involving Davao banana workers took a long legal battle before they were finally compensated by the agrochemical companies involved.

Philippine groups involved in biotechnology issues led by the Southeast Asia Regional Initiatives for Community Empowerment (Searice) that participated in the Kuala Lumpur conference are scheduled to discuss in detail the results of the study.

Sister Susan Bolanio of the Social Action Center of the Diocese of Marbel (now Koronadal City) in South Cotabato told BusinessWorld on Sunday that details of the study have not been released to the farmers or local groups.

"[The experts] would discuss the details of the study during the press conference," said Sister Bolanio, a leading personality on environmental issues in Southern Mindanao.

She said it was Marbel's Social Action Center that initiated studies on Bt corn's effects on the health of local farmers after some complained of respiratory diseases. The farmers, she added, were not even involved in planting the controversial crop.

Fifty-one farmer residents living near farms planted to Bt corn, she said, earlier signed a petition against the cultivation of the genetically altered crop which carries anti-pest toxins. Most of the farmers, she said, are from Polomok, a town famous for pineapple located next to Koronadal city, the provincial capital.

Sister Bolanio and Elipidio Peria, policy officer of Searice, attended the Kuala Lumpur conference where the Bt corn issue was discussed. Mr. Peria declined to comment on the blood contamination report, saying today's press conference would clarify the controversy.

On Monday, a report from Kuala Lumpur said Norwegian scientist Tarja Traavik had told the conference that a study found that blood samples from 39 farmers in southern Mindanao "carried increased levels of three different target antibodies, evidence of an immune reaction to the Bt toxin built in to combat pests."

Local anti-biotechnology groups initially declined to comment on the issue noting they were never informed that such study was being undertaken. Regional health and agriculture officials also said it was the first time they had heard of such study.

Bt corn is distributed by American firm Monsanto which does not have a representative office in the city.

The propagation of Bt corn has been opposed by civil society groups and local government units in most parts of Mindanao despite repeated endorsements made by government agencies.

UNITED STATES

CONTAMINATION FROM 'DEMON SEEDS' (OPINION)
BusinessWorld
04-Mar-2004

To date, there is no proof that food grown from genetically modified plants poses any danger to human health. On the contrary, so-called GM plants have the potential to feed more people than traditional crops and to contribute to a cleaner, pesticide-free environment. Nevertheless, the technology used to modify plant species is new, and there's a good deal still to be learned about it. Many of America's trading partners have not yet accepted it, preferring not to buy modified foods.

For those reasons, it is in the interest of American farmers to maintain some supplies of traditional seed "uncontaminated" by engineered genes.

That may soon cease to be possible. In a report published last week, the Union of Concerned Scientists described tests carried out on supposedly unmodified corn, soy and canola and canola seeds, all purchased commercially. Of 18 seed varieties tested, 16 seemed to contain some genetically engineered elements. How this DNA got there is unclear: Contamination could have come through pollen, could have been carried by the wind or could have occurred through the physical mixing of seeds. The depth of the problem is also unclear. This was relatively small study, testing for a relatively limited range of modified DNA.

But the results are significant enough that they should interest the American food and agriculture industries, as well as the US Department of Agriculture, all of which ought to have a strong interest in clarifying the situation. In part, the concerns are economic: If American exporters cannot guarantee that some part of their products are made from traditional seeds, they will soon lose markets in Europe and elsewhere. In the longer term, the concerns might be environmental as well.

The first reaction may be to ignore or dismiss a report that will frighten some consumers, both at home and abroad. But industry and government should not brush this issue aside. Both the USDA and the companies that grow grain and manufacture food products will be better off if they commission larger, more comprehensive studies of the nation's seed supply and start reviewing the wide range of regulations that govern sale and storage of seed. By accepting that this problem could be real and thinking in advance about how to solve it, the nation could avoid a much-larger scare. (The Washington Post)

GLOBAL

COUNTING CHICKENS BEFORE THEY HATCH?
01-Mar-2004
Life Sciences Network
Media Release
http://www.lifesciencesnetwork.com/news-detail.asp?newsID=5437

Professor Terje Traavik has put his reputation on the line by going public with warnings of serious health risks from GE foods before the research he cites has been published or peer-reviewed, Chairman of the Life Sciences Network Dr William Rolleston said today.

"A responsible scientist would have presented their evidence to the appropriate regulatory authorities in a manner which allows time for proper scrutiny instead of using the media in an attempt to cause public panic and regulatory over-reaction. If this evidence is credible then the appropriate regulatory authorities will take it into consideration in their decision making as they have always done.

"GE free NZ is right to suggest that Professor Traavik will be criticized for circumventing the proper scientific process and it is probably no coincidence that Professor Traavik's claims coincide with the first major international meeting to discuss the implementation of the Cartegena protocol, which regulates the international shipment of GMOs.

"We have seen these scare tactics before from the anti-GM lobby - Professor Puztai and his potatoes, Professor Kaatz and his bees, and the Monarch Butterfly story. All have failed the test of time through lack of credibility or because they were just plain wrong. Even Professor Traavik's own evidence on DNA vaccines failed to impress New Zealand's Royal Commission on Genetic Modification.

"Professor Traavik should know that safety is based on considering all the evidence, taking into account its credibility and putting it into context with current risks," Dr Rolleston concluded.