Re: Gene Tinkering: YOU Are The Mice And They Don't Want You
Sal Schettino (sals@rain.org)
Thu, 12 Sep 1996 09:17:43 -0700
>Date: Thu, 12 Sep 1996 06:28:43 -0700
>To: jtoth@fairfield.com (Joe Toth)
>From: Sal Schettino <sals@rain.org>
>Subject: Re: Gene Tinkering: YOU Are The Mice And They Don't Want You to Know
>
>Joe thanks for keeping us posted. You would never hear about what these
folks are doing if it were not for folks like you. These gene tinkerers
have no regard for peoples religious belief or freedom of choice and I fear
them . They want to keep people ignorant. They refuse to label their
abominations and force them on people. We have no choice but to be genie
pigs . Why don't I see this information in the media? Thanks Joe and keep
up the good work of warning folks.They are so powerful and can not be stoped
but please Joe don't give up the fight. Some one that knows needs to tell
the story.
>
>
> At 10:31 PM 9/9/96 -0500, you wrote:
>>
>> GENE TINKERING BLUES
>> Volume 1 Issue 3 August 1996
>>
>> by Prof. Joe Cummins, Professor Emeritus of Genetics, University of
>>Western Ontario
>>
>>GENETIC EXPERIMENTS THREATEN SOUTHERN ONTARIO
>>
>>During the past year gene tinkered crops have begun to flood the
>>marketplace. These crops need not be labeled nor have they been tested to
>>assure their safety both for humans and for the environment. Such
>>production is going forward even though there is clear evidence that about
>>one in ten tinkered genes escapes from its original crop and spreads to
>>weedy relatives. The crops designed to resist viruses incorporate virus
>>genes that recombine with wild viruses to create stronger
>>(super) races of viruses. The greed of multinational companies that own
>>most tinkered crops drives them to risk human and environmental injury
>>from crops that are designed to grow obsolescent from spread to weedy
>>relatives.
>> Recently Agriculture Canada began testing a gene tinkered
>>construction in Southern Ontario that has frightful characteristics. The
>>population of this area are being used as white mice in a gigantic
>>experiment. The experiment is a poor one because its results will not be
>>clearly and carefully recorded and public relations experts from government
>>and multinational companies will obfuscate the results and trick and
>>mislead the public about them.
>> The questionable experiment is to insert a gene for scorpion toxin
>>into an insect virus then to spray the tinkered virus onto produce crops in
>>the field. The tinkered virus is now highly potent in destroying insects
>>both pests and their natural predators and the pollinators.
>> The scorpion toxin may not be threatening to humans as a toxin
>>when it is eaten but its impact on cuts and open sores is a concern. Such
>>toxins are frequently allergens as well as nerve toxins. Food allergy
>>causes effects ranging from migraine headache to death.
>> The danger from a small field test is tangible provided the
>>experiment is not well thought out and controlled. Genetic recombination is
>>a significant concern in such experiments. The scorpion toxin gene can be
>>spread by recombination to insects that suck blood as well as insects that
>>suck plant juice. The virus that acquires a toxin gene will achieve a new
>>ecological niche and is likely to be a formidable parasite.
>>
>> SCORPION TOXIN WILL BE SPREAD BY INSECT VIRUSES
>> GENETIC RECOMBINATION CAN MOVE THE TOXIN GENE
>> INTO WIDE RANGING INSECT PESTS OF PLANTS AND MAN
>>
>> Even though it is relatively inexpensive to monitor the scorpion
>>toxin using a technique called ELISA and to monitor spread of the toxin
>>gene using PCR (a highly sensitive technique used in genetic
>>fingerprinting) such monitoring will not be done in Ontario. The reason
>>that the experiment will not be monitored is the mistaken belief that the
>>scorpion gene will not be an advantage to the insect virus which will die
>>out and have to be continually replaced from the company store.
>>Furthermore, it is equally clear that the agricultural authorities are not
>>eager to have adverse monitoring reports slow the development of a product
>>capable of enriching companies beyond their wildest dreams.
>> The use of a scorpion genes to enhance the killing ability of
>>insect viruses is not new. Somewhat similar experiments on trees sparked
>>violent controversy in the United Kingdom. Most of the tests on gene
>>tinkered crops have been done in the United States and Canada and most of
>>the marketed gene tinkered products have been released in the United States
>>and Canada. While the issue has sparked extensive debate in Europe the
>>extensive testing in North America has mainly been ignored by news media
>>and government. Most of the huge North American population is unaware of
>>the testing and marketing of unlabelled gene tinkered crops even though the
>>populations are totally immersed in news media of rich variety but little
>>diversity.
>> The use of microbes to control insects is well established. A
>>bacterium called Bt has been used to fight insects for many years. The
>>bacterial toxin that kills insects has been added to the genes of potatoes
>>and corn among a growing number of crops. Such gene tinkered potatoes are
>>being marketed in Canada. The gene tinkered crops have two disadvantages,
>>first the crops promote rapid appearance of resistant crop varieties and
>>second, the Bt toxin may cause allergies in some people or toxicity in
>>people taking ulcer medication or antacids(the toxin is inactivated in the
>>acid environment of the stomach). The gene tinkered insect virus bearing
>>scorpion toxin will be sprayed on leafy vegetables such as lettuce. People
>>eaten poorly washed lettuce will ingest modified virus. The toxin is
>>known to cause allergic responses along with poisoning animals and people.
>>Furthermore, recent studies show that people may take genes form viruses
>>or modified food into the genetic makeup of their tissues. Vaccines are
>>being created by injecting or feeding genes containing the information for
>>epitope creating the vaccination. However, gene products like scorpion
>>toxin are very likely to make tissues autoimmune, in turn creating diseases
>>related to arthritis, Lupus and a range of related conditions. If people
>>are not made aware of their exposures they will never learn what caused
>>their diseases.
>> Gene tinkering has already caused profound alterations on the
>>environment through the extensive testing programs in Canada and the United
>>States. Current test are growing riskier all the time even though release
>>of a carelessly gene tinkered health food product caused death of at least
>>37 Americans and crippled thousands. We must insure that gene tests and
>>releases do not kill and maim thousands more.
>>
>>
>>http://www.hagelin.org/hagelin
>>
>>
>
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