Independent Analysis of Monsanto's Own GMO Crop Data Shows It Causes Organ Damage

The study provides undeniable proof that Monsanto's GMO Crops carry serious risks to health, and also that Monsanto has known about it all along and hidden the information.

by Heidi Stevenson

14 May 2011

The data from three animal feeding studies conducted by or for Monsanto were reanalyzed by an independent French scientist. The results are shocking, both for the clear indication of harm done by Monsanto's corn and for the obvious hiding of that information.

Before telling more about the results, it must be noted that the authors had to point out that the amount and timing of data collected was inadequate to demonstrate the extent of harm done. Therefore, whatever they found is not the full story, though it's bad enough.

The study was authored by Joëel Spiroux de Vendômois, François Roullier, Dominique Sellier, and Gilles-Eric Séalini, is entitled "A Comparison of the Effects of Three GM Corn Varieties on Mammalian Health. It was published in the International Journal of Biology".

The Products Tested

Three different varieties of Monsanto's GMO corn were tested:

• NK 603: Genetically engineered to be impervious to Roundup (glyphosate).
• MON 810: Genetically engineered to produce the insecticide Cry1Ab, derived from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis.
• MON 863: Genetically engineered to produce the insecticide Cry3Bb1, derived from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis.

The products were all tested on rats.

The Data

Three studies were performed at two different locations. Two were done at Monsanto facilities by Monsanto. The third was done for Monsanto by Covance Laboratories.

None of the data was released willingly. The MON 863 data set was obtained after Monsanto had lost a court case hoping to maintain control of it. The Swedish Board of Agriculture made the NK 603 data available on a request from Greenpeace Denmark, and MON 810 data was obtained by the attorneys of Greenpeace Germany.

The authors noted that accepted data requirements were not met by any of the studies. The authors stated:

The most fundamental point to bear in mind from the outset is that a sample size of 10 for biochemical parameters measured two times in 90 days is largely insufficient to ensure an acceptable degree of power to the statistical analysis performed and presented by Monsanto.

That is, Monsanto used analytical methods that could not be justified by the minimal data that they collected. Therefore, their analyses must be considered questionable. Any regulatory agency presented with such data and analysis should have immediately handed it back with the announcement that it was unacceptable.

The authors stated, also, that:

...we consider that based on the analysis as presented by Monsanto that it fails to demonstrate that the consumption of these GM maize feeds was indeed safe as claimed...

...Consequently, based on the clear inadequacy of the statistical power used to refute toxic effects (for instance the unquestionable large size effects in this study), knowing also that billions of people and animals can consume these products prior to the performance of appropriate in vivo safety evaluation, we applied an appropriate, experimentally validated statistical analytical methodology.

The Data Findings

The primary effects were found in the liver and kidneys, which is unsurprising, since the food consumed includes known poisons that were engineered to grow in the corn for their pesticidal effect. Effects were also noted in the heart, adrenal glands, spleen and haematopoietic (blood formation) system.

NK 603 (Roundup Ready Corn): Most effects were found in male rats. Urine phosphorus was notably disturbed. Lymphocytes and neutrophils, both white blood cells and thus part of the immune system, were also impacted. The blood urea nitrogen was diminished, indicative of stress on the liver. Urine creatinine clearance was increased, indicative of stress on the kidneys.

MON 810 (New Pesticide Variety of Corn): Female rats were particularly affected. Spleen weight increased, indicative of several potential types of damage. Blood urea nitrogen increased. Liver function was harmed in males.

MON 863 (New Pesticide Variety of Corn): Male rats were particularly susceptible to kidney damage from this variety. Females were found to have increases in serum glucose and triglycerides, along with increases in body and liver weights. Creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, and urine chloride excretion were elevated in female rats. Chronic nephropathy (kidney damage) was noted in males, their body weights decreased, and liver function measures varied from normal.

The Conclusions

Interestingly, the authors apparently had access to Monsanto's original confidential reports—ones never intended to be seen outside the company. This is likely the most damning information of all. What the authors found coincides with what Monsanto's inside reports stated. This indicates that Monsanto has been fully aware of the harm that their genetically modified products produce. As the authors noted:

However, the methodology we employed revealed different effects, which completely changed the interpretation of the experimental results.

As ever in honest research, the authors' conclusions speak to the need for further research. However, in this case, it's particularly significant because they point out the inadequacies of the original study designs, not to mention the seriously misinterpreted data. Longer studies need to be done, because:

These substances have never before been an integral part of the human or animal diet and therefore their health consequences for those who consume them, especially over long time periods are currently unknown.

Finally, what must be noted is twofold: Corn, and presumably any food modified to contain or be resistant to a pesticide-poison, allowing excess use, must produce, at a minimum, stress on the kidneys and liver, which are the primary organs that process and eliminate toxic elements. Clearly, Monsanto's products are toxic.

Any discussion or research about them must start with the assumption that they are stressful to the body, and therefore likely harmful.

Instead, of course, we are now seeing agencies like the FDA and USDA officially operate from the assumption that genetically modified foods are "generally recognized as safe". Even before this study, that assumption was never reasonable. Now, we have undeniable evidence that genetically modified foods are dangerous, and worse, that Monsanto has been aware of that fact all along.

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