sospetto di allergie da mais Starlink

["AlessandroGimona"<agimona@libero.it>]

Cari tutti,
questo articolo dal Washington Post tratta del *sospetto* che il mais 
starlink abbia indotto allergie in alcuni soggetti sensibili.

La storia e' un campanello d'allarme: se prodotti GM [esternamente 
indistinguibili da quelli 'tradizionali'] scarsamente testati o 
addirittura non destinati al consumo umano diventassero comuni sul 
mercato - questi ultimi a causa della difficolta' di tenere separati 
prodotti e sementi,  i casi potrebbero moltiplicarsi.


Spero interessi,
saluti,
Alessandro Gimona



BIOTECH CORN IS TEST CASE FOR INDUSTRY: ENGINEERED FOOD'S FUTURE HINGES 
ON
         ALLERGY STUDY
         March 19, 2001
         Washington Post
         Page A01
         Marc Kaufman
         
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A23092-2001Mar18.html
         Grace Booth had, according to this story, just finished a 
chicken enchilada
         lunch with some co-workers when she began to feel hot and 
itchy. Her lips
         began to swell, she developed severe diarrhea and soon she was 
having
         trouble breathing. Colleagues called an ambulance.
         The story says that Booth, 35, was rushed from the California 
youth center
         where she works to a nearby hospital, apparently suffering from 
anaphylactic
         shock. Doctors quickly injected her with anti-allergy medicine, 
gave her
         some Benadryl to swallow and put her on an IV. The treatment 
worked, and
         after five hours Booth walked out of the hospital.
         Several days later, Booth learned that taco shells and other 
corn products
         had been recalled nationwide because they were found to contain 
a
         genetically modified type of corn called StarLink. The corn had 
been
         approved only for animal consumption because of concerns that 
it might
         trigger dangerous allergic reactions in people.
         Because there was corn in the tortillas Booth had eaten -- and 
because tests
         for all other food allergies had been negative -- she contacted 
the Food and
         Drug Administration. She reported that she might have had an 
allergic
         reaction to StarLink.
         The story explains that Booth is among several dozen people 
nationwide who
         believe they suffered allergic reactions from eating StarLink 
corn last
         fall. Their cases are being investigated by the FDA and the 
federal Centers
         for Disease Control and Prevention. The outcome of that 
investigation could
         have enormous ramifications for the future of biotech food.
         Allergic reactions have been viewed for years as the primary 
threat to human
         health posed by genetically engineered foods, which typically 
have proteins
         from other organisms spliced into them for various reasons. But 
the health
         complaints about StarLink are the first lodged by consumers 
against an
         engineered food.
         If researchers determine the unsuspecting diners did have 
allergic reactions
         to a protein in the corn, then the already troubled world of 
agricultural
         biotechnology will suffer another damaging blow. Despite 
widespread concern
         over the possibility that genetically engineered crops could 
damage the
         environment or cause human health problems, there has been 
little evidence
         that either has occurred. Allergic responses to StarLink would 
mark the
         first documented instances of people suffering health problems 
because of
         engineered food.
         But, the story says, if the results come back negative, the 
industry will
         regain some credibility. Company scientists have argued that 
StarLink could
         not cause severe, or even minor, allergic reactions, and that 
the corn is
         safe. That's why they say it should have been approved for 
human use (rather
         than only animal feed) several years ago.
         The story adds that it has taken months for the FDA to develop 
a test for
         that potential allergic reaction, but officials say they 
believe they have
         one. It has not been fully checked and double-checked, and 
researchers warn
         the test will not give a definitive answer.
         But officials said they are far enough along to seek blood 
samples from
         people like Booth collected last year by the CDC. The samples 
were scheduled
         to arrive in Washington last week, and testing is expected to 
begin this
         month.
         Karl Klontz, a medical officer with the FDA's Center for Food 
Safety and
         Applied Nutrition, was cited as saying the test will determine 
whether the
         people had produced antibodies to the genetically modified 
protein in
         StarLink corn, called Cry9C, which protects plants against the 
European corn
         borer, adding, "This is the first time a test like this has 
been developed,
         and nobody is claiming that it is a gold standard. But the 
presence of [the
         antibody] would suggest the possibility of an allergic 
phenomenon, and the
         lack of [the antibody] would go a long way to reassure that 
there is no
         allergic issue."
         Klontz was further cited as adding that if the antibody to 
Cry9C is found in
         the blood samples, then skin-prick tests and even "food 
challenges" -- the
         feeding of food containing StarLink to possible allergy 
sufferers -- could
         follow.
         Regulators have been especially concerned about engineering 
foreign proteins
         into food because consumers have no way of knowing they might 
be present.
         People allergic to peanuts know to avoid certain products, but 
genetically
         engineered proteins are not labeled and so can't be avoided.
         The issue surfaced in 1995, when researchers found that a 
Brazil nut gene
         introduced into a soybean could cause allergic reactions.
         The problem was discovered before the soybean went to market, 
and research
         on the seeds was stopped.
         StarLink corn was supposed to be kept from human food, but all 
involved
         acknowledge the system for doing that didn't work.
         The story goes on to say that the FDA has received 48 such 
reports, and the
         CDC has focused on the 35 that came in before the November 
advisory
         committee meeting. At that time, the FDA said about a dozen of 
the
         complaints appeared to involve bona fide allergic reactions.
         StarLink is suspected of causing allergies because Cry9C has a 
heightened
         ability to resist heat and gastric juices -- giving more time 
for the body
         to overreact. The molecular weight of the protein is also 
consistent with
         something that can trigger an allergic reaction, the panel 
said.
         The StarLink issue has spawned several lawsuits, including a 
class action
         suit filed in Chicago, accusing Aventis and others of 
negligence and
         consumer fraud for producing or selling corn products that 
weren't approved
         for human use. The plaintiffs contend that they suffered 
allergic reactions,
         and include people who filed reports with the FDA and some who 
did not.
         The story says that biotechnology officials minimize the suits, 
saying that
         some people are trying to take advantage of the situation. They 
also say
         that given the huge effort and cost involved in buying up 
StarLink corn and
         recalling products found to contain it, the industry response 
should be
         applauded rather than attacked.
         Keith Finger, a Florida optometrist, is a plaintiff in one 
suit, and like
         Booth, he reported suffering a serious allergic reaction. 
Finger ate a
         dinner of tortillas, beans and rice in September, and 15 
minutes later got a
         terrible stomachache and diarrhea. Soon after, he started to 
itch all over,
         his tongue began to swell and he had difficulty breathing -- 
all the
         symptoms of anaphylactic shock.
         Finger called in a prescription for a fast injection of an 
anti-allergy
         medicine and gobbled some Benadryl; gradually, the symptoms 
subsided. If he
         hadn't acted quickly, he said, he could have died. Several days 
later, he
         learned about StarLink corn, and went back to see whether there 
was corn in
         his tortillas. There was, and he filed a report with the FDA.
         Finger was cited as saying that he talked several weeks ago to 
an Aventis
         lawyer and offered to eat some food with StarLink to see 
whether he would
         have another allergic reaction and said that the lawyer was 
initially
         interested but declined, adding, "At this point, I just want to 
know if
         people like me can have an allergic reaction to StarLink. It's 
scary to
         think people might have reactions to something they don't even 
know is in
         their food. This needs to get cleared up soon."
Alessandro Gimona
agimona@libero.it