[ Environmental Defense Calls Study of Starlink Corn Unscientific below ]
Genetically engineered StarLink corn did not cause allergic reactions in 17 people who had reported sometimes severe reactions after eating corn tacos and tortillas last fall, federal health officials said yesterday.
Blood tests failed to find any signs of antibodies to the protein in the genetically engineered corn, indicating none of those tested had experienced an allergic reaction, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. All had complained to federal agencies last year of reactions ranging from rashes to anaphylactic shock after eating products made of yellow corn that might have contained StarLink.
The results were applauded by advocates of biotechnology as confirming the safety of StarLink in particular and modified crops in general. But environmental groups called the federal effort limited and insufficient to answer the question of whether StarLink can cause dangerous allergic reactions.
Carol Rubin, an epidemiologist with the CDC's National Center for Environmental Health, said that while the test results were "only a first step" in answering questions about the safety of the corn, "it can be seen as good news for consumers."
"Based on the test methods used, it is highly unlikely that the people had an allergic reaction to" StarLink, she said. "They may have experienced allergic reactions to some food, but not the protein that was tested."
But one of the people who suffered anaphylactic shock after eating an enchilada made of yellow corn, Californian Grace Booth, said she was still convinced she had a reaction to StarLink.
"Everything else I ate in the 72 hours before I got so sick, I've eaten again with no problem," she said. "Frankly, I don't trust the tests."
StarLink is a variety of corn engineered to contain a protein, called Cry9c, that can protect crops against several insects. While many similar modified corns have been approved for general use, StarLink was approved only for animal feed because of concerns that it broke down more slowly than many proteins and might cause allergic reactions. The corn nonetheless inadvertently entered the human food supply, triggering the recall of about 300 corn products.
The developer of the corn, Aventis CropSciences of Research Triangle, N.C., has asked the Environmental Protection Agency for retroactive approval to allow small amounts of StarLink corn in food for people. The tests results announced yesterday were requested by a scientific advisory panel convened by the EPA to help determine whether to issue that approval. The advisory panel is set to meet again on the StarLink issue next month.
Val Giddings of the Biotechnology Industry Organization said that yesterday's results meant that the case was "slam-dunk closed."
"We are pleased, but not the least bit surprised, that the data released by the CDC today is consistent with the vast body of data we have had all along showing the safety of StarLink corn," he said. "If the protein was allergenic, they would not have found these negative reactions."
The tests were done at a Food and Drug Administration laboratory, and required new research into how to test for possible reactions to foods containing genetically modified crops. The blood samples, which included some taken before StarLink was developed and some from highly allergic people, were sent with number codes to prevent bias.
Rebecca Goldburg, a scientist with Environmental Defense, said that the CDC sample was too small to be meaningful, and that the EPA should not approve StarLink for human use based on the results. She said a wider test of people, especially children and those who eat enough yellow corn products to develop a sensitivity, is needed.
"The results are comforting, but hardly definitive," she said. "This is not something that could be published in a scientific journal and be accepted as conclusive. They didn't target the right people to test."
Mark Helm of Friends of the Earth, an environmental group that first brought the issue of StarLink in taco shells to public attention, said it was "borderline irresponsible to say this stuff is safe. It still has not been rigorously tested."
According to the CDC's Rubin, 51 people had reported experiencing adverse reactions in the weeks after StarLink was found in tacos and other corn products.
Of those, she said, 28 fit the definition of having suffered a food allergy, and 17 of them agreed to provide a blood sample. Some of the reactions had been quite severe, and Rubin said that all will receive reports on what the researchers learned about their blood.
Allergy experts generally agree that if antibodies to StarLink had been found in the blood of the 17, that still would not have meant the people had allergic reactions to the modified corn. That determination could be made only after completing skin prick tests or food challenges.
Booth, 35, who works at a youth center, said that she remained willing to have a skin test with StarLink protein or even eat something made with StarLink under a doctor's supervision. "I still feel like I haven't gotten to the bottom of this, and very much want to do that," she said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released late this afternoon the results of an investigation with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of about 20 consumer reports of allergic reactions following consumption of foods containing corn. The investigation did not find that any of the reactions are attributable to StarLink™ corn, which is genetically engineered to produce an insecticidal toxin. Sold by Aventis, StarLink corn is not permitted in human food, because of evidence that it may cause allergic reactions. Testing this past year has shown that numerous food products, such as taco shells, are contaminated by StarLink corn.
"The CDC/FDA results are far from definitive," said Rebecca Goldburg, a senior scientist at Environmental Defense. "CDC and FDA only examined reactions of a small number of people who asked to be assessed, rather than examining people most likely to suffer allergic reactions to StarLink. Those most likely to suffer such reactions include young children, who are especially vulnerable to developing food allergies, and food industry workers, who are heavily exposed to corn."
Aventis has incurred considerable expense since the discovery of StarLink contamination in human food. Among other expenses, the company has paid a price premium to farmers to buy back StarLink-contaminated corn supplies. In April 2001 the company for the second time petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to allow StarLink corn in human food.
"Today's results are a small bit of evidence about the health impacts of StarLink corn," said Goldburg. "The results are entirely insufficient to support an EPA decision to allow StarLink corn in human food. Consumers should not be asked to bear health risks as a result of Aventis' failure to prevent food contamination by StarLink corn."
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