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Problems with genetic engineering - learning from the tryptophan experience
For your info - P. Dines
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From: Richard Wolfson, INTERNET:rwolfson@concentric.net
To: Patricia Dines, 73652,1202
To: info@natural-law.ca
Date: Sun, Jun 1, 1997, 8:37 AM
Subject: June issue of Alive article
Here is the most recent article on genetic engineering in Alive magazine:
Ban Genetically Engineered Food
by Richard Wolfson, PhD
Reprinted with permission from the Biotech News column of the June 1997
issue of Alive: Canadian Journal of Health and Nutrition
The Tryptophan Example
In 1989, there was an epidemic in the USA of a mysterious disease. It was
termed eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome (EMS). This "disease" produced
severe, often crippling muscle pain and resulted in over 37 deaths, as well
as thousands of permanently disabled people.
Eventually EMS was traced to the consumption of certain genetically
engineered (GE) batches of the nutritional supplement tryptophan, produced
by the Japanese company Showa Denko K.K. The company had used a
gene-altered version of the bacteria needed to make tryptophan in order to
cut production costs--much like what many food and drug producers are doing
today.
When the producers put this tryptophan on the market, they did not know a
toxin was present. Extensive testing was not required--nor is it required
today. Because it is impossible to predict all side-effects from inserting
foreign genes into an organism, only very extensive long-term tests can
ensure no unforeseen, damaging consequences.
Playing with Fire
When we cannot even predict the side-effects of genetic manipulation with a
simple bacteria in the case of tryptophan, how in the world can we expect
to prevent side-effects when we insert genes from pigs, fish, bacteria,
viruses, and even humans into our foods? New allergens, toxins, and
dangerous diseases are all likely. Genetic mistakes can be with us
forever.
GE soybeans, potatoes, tomatoes, corn, canola, and ingredients used in
hundreds of processed foods are already on the market in Canada, and
thousands more about to flood the market. There is an urgent need for
increased testing requirements.
Apples and Oranges
The principle of "substantial equivalence" is currently used by regulatory
authorities to allow GE foods on the market without extensive testing. If
a genetically engineered food appears identical to its non-GE counterpart
in a few restricted characteristics (such as nutrition, flavour, and
texture), the GE food is deemed substantially equivalent. In these cases,
testing procedures consist almost exclusively of looking for a few specific
anticipated allergens or toxic compounds. There is absolutely no attempt
to even begin to assess the unanticipated or long-term side-effects of gene
manipulation.
There are many people who can personally testify to the urgent need to
tighten regulations on genetically engineered products. In the case of
genetically engineered tryptophan, many patients are still in a chronic
phase of eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome. The national EMS newsletter mails
to approximately 800 survivors, which is about half the initial EMS victims
identified. The total number of victims is estimated in the thousands.
(For more information on EMS and tryptophan, see the EMS home page
http://www.nemsn.org/ems/html/, or refer to the article:
Eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome and tryptophan production: a cautionary tale,
Trends in Biotechnology, Sept., 1994, pp. 346-352.)
Note: Biotech industry representatives often attribute the toxic
tryptophan to inadequate purification procedures, rather than the genetic
engineering process. In this case, a more thorough purification process
might have been able to catch the unexpected toxin. However, this only
highlights the need for more extensive testing of all genetically
engineered products because of the risks of such unpredicted effects.
It is also worth noting that all of the remaining genetically engineered
batches of tryptophan and other evidence at the production plant linking
the disaster to genetic engineering were conveniently destroyed before
investigators could precisely determine what stage in the production
process was responsible for the toxin. Still, more than two billion
dollars of litigation was instituted against Showa Denko.
........................................
<snip>
For more information on genetic engineering and what we can do to stop
these products entering the market, contact: Campaign to Ban Genetically
Engineered Foods, Natural Law Party, Tel: 613-565-8517, Email:
rwolfson@concentric.net
Richard Wolfson, PhD is Health Advisor to the Natural Law Party
_________________________________________________________
Richard Wolfson, PhD
Campaign to Ban Genetically Engineered Food
Natural Law Party
500 Wilbrod Street
Ottawa, ON Canada K1N 6N2
Tel. 613-565-8517 Fax. 613-565-6546
email: rwolfson@concentric.net
NLP Website: http://www.natural-law.ca
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