St. Louis, Missouri
November 21, 2008
Source:
Monsanto Company
On November 11, 2008, the Austrian
Ministry of Health, Family and Youth released a report on three
studies designed to assess the impact of GM corn on
reproduction. One finding in one of the studies was interpreted
as a possible impact on reproduction in the test mice. These
unpublished studies had not been subjected to peer-review or
analysis by independent scientists. At the time the report was
released to the press, the author of the study, Dr. Jurgen
Zentek, remarked that his team’s three studies showed
inconsistent results and should be considered preliminary.
Since then, the unpublished study has been reviewed by several
scientists, including two internationally recognized experts in
reproductive toxicology; Dr. John DeSesso, Senior Fellow at the
non-profit group Noblis and Dr. James Lamb, currently of The
Weinberg Group. Dr. Lamb developed one type of study used by
the Austrian researchers while at U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services, National Toxicology Program. Doctors Lamb and
DeSesso have both concluded that there are significant flaws in
the study reporting and analysis which bring serious question to
the validity of the findings. They agreed with Dr. Zentek that
the results were inconsistent but concluded that there was no
evidence of any adverse effects of the GM crop.
Within 24 hours of the preliminary findings being released,
Greenpeace and the Center for Food Safety (CFS) had issued
statements calling for a recall and moratorium on GM crops and
foods. “Once again, these organizations have demonstrated that
their primary interest is sensational headlines and not
scientific substance,” said Jerry Hjelle, Ph.D., Vice President
of Monsanto’s Regulatory group. “Every time a preliminary study
like this comes out, Greenpeace and the Center for Food Safety
cry ‘wolf’. And time and time again, scientific scrutiny finds
that GM crops and food are safe.”
Monsanto Company is a
leading global provider of technology-based solutions and
agricultural products that improve farm productivity and food
quality. Monsanto remains focused on enabling both small-holder
and large-scale farmers to produce more from their land while
conserving more of our world's natural resources such as water
and energy. |
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