1.REPORT AUTHOR COMMENTS ON NEW REPORT ON BT COTTON AND ALLERGIC REACTIONS
2.READ THE REPORT ONLINE
3.JEFFREY SMITH ON BT AND HEALTH
EXCERPT: Mice exposed to Bt-toxin developed an immune response equal to that of cholera toxin, developed a greater susceptibility to allergies, and developed abnormal and excessive cell growth in their small intestines. Farm workers exposed to even the low dose Bt spray showed evidence of allergic sensitivity, and blood tests showed an immune response. Preliminary evidence found that thirty-nine Philippinos living next to a Bt maize field developed skin, intestinal, and respiratory reactions while the maize was pollinating
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1.REPORT AUTHOR COMMENTS ON NEW REPORT ON BT COTTON AND ALLERGIC REACTIONS
Dear Friends,
Last season we received lot of complaints from cotton growing farmers of Nimar regarding allergic reactions being caused by BT cotton and thus to investigate a three member panel was constituted which covered 6 villages in 2 district and talked with various groups of people associated with handling cotton and experts. They included women involved in picking cotton, labourers involved in loadng-unloading of Rui, Ginning factory workers, local doctor, agri–bioscientists.
We found people suffered allergic reactions as a result of a direct contact with Bt cotton in various body parts which included hands, feet, face, eyes and nose etc and some people become very severally ill. According to Dr Debashish Banerji of SPS Bagli, the whole plant of Bt is secreting a poisonous toxin which is supposed to kill American bollworm but this toxin can certainly cause allergy.
In 2004-05, 5.84 lakh Hectares of land was under Cotton cultivation and since 2002 bt cotton is being grown in MP in a bigway. The Bt cotton plant has gene of a bacteria which secretes a toxin for killing the cotton bollworms.
In our study we found that 82.6 % persons suffered from redness of skin, 48 % had eye symptoms and 39 %persons had symptoms related to nose (upper respiratory Tract). The local doctor of the area has reported that he has recived 100 and 150 cases of allergy in 2004 and 2005 in the cotton season. Kalibai of Kothra has said she is working since 20 years picking cotton but never suffered any symptoms but in 2004 she sufferd very bad allergy due to picking of Bt cotton.
We demand that a detailed survey should be conducted by Govt to study the health impact of this new GM seed and spread awareness amongst the people.
I am sending copy of detailed report.
Ashish Mandloi
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2.READ THE REPORT ONLINE
We've put the full version of the investigative report on the Impact of Bt Cotton on Farmers' Health (in Barwani and Dhar District of Madhya Pradesh, India, Oct - Dec 2005) on the GM Watch website.
We've published it in two parts:
Impact of Bt Cotton on Farmers' Health
Part 1
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=6265
Impact of Bt Cotton on Farmers' Health
Part 2
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=6266
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3.JEFFREY SMITH ON BT AND HEALTH
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=5705%20
Q: South Africa has authorized the growing of GM maize for human consumption. Do you know the nature of this modification? What is its intended outcome?
SMITH: The primary trait added to GM corn is the insertion of a gene that creates the Bt-toxin, which is a pesticide. The industry claims that Bt is safe, since it has been used in an organic pesticide for years. This is utter nonsense.
The GM Bt-toxin is engineered to be far more toxic than the natural spray
Q: We are the only country in the world where a GM staple food has been authorized. How will this affect people where 80-90% of their diet consists of maize meal and fresh maize on the cob?
SMITH: The GM Bt-toxin in maize is hundreds or even a thousand times more concentrated than the spray
The spray degrades in the sunlight in a few days, but the GM variety is produced by every cell of the maize, around the clock, and eaten by the consumer.
Mice exposed to Bt-toxin developed an immune response equal to that of cholera toxin, developed a greater susceptibility to allergies, and developed abnormal and excessive cell growth in their small intestines. Farm workers exposed to even the low dose Bt spray showed evidence of allergic sensitivity, and blood tests showed an immune response. Preliminary evidence found that thirty-nine Philippinos living next to a Bt maize field developed skin, intestinal, and respiratory reactions while the maize was pollinating.
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