Genetically engineered corn fatal to some butterflies
Copyright © 1999 Nando Media Copyright © 1999 Associated Press
By DAVID KINNEY
(May 19, 1999 4:15 p.m. EDT http://www.nandotimes.com) - Cornell University scientists have discovered a disturbing unintended consequence of genetic engineering: Pollen from a widely planted, laboratory-designed strain of corn can kill monarch butterflies.
Monarch caterpillars eating leaves dusted with pollen from the altered corn plants ate less, grew more slowly and died more quickly. After four days, 44 percent of them had died compared to none of the caterpillars that didn't feed on the pollen.
The study was led by Cornell University entomologist John Losey and published in Thursday's issue of the journal Nature.
Environmentalists fear that if the genetically engineered corn is killing the orange-and-black butterflies, it may be killing other insects and damaging the food chain.
The strain in question is called Bt corn and is manufactured by agricultural giants Novartis AG, Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc., and Monsanto Co.
Genetically engineered to produce a natural pesticide that kills the European corn borer, Bt corn has been touted by the industry as a way to fight a major pest without chemicals.
It was approved by the FDA and hit the market in 1996. Twenty million acres of the corn were planted in the United States in 1998.
"It's a smoking gun. This now is a red flag everyone is going to have to look at," said Jeremy Rifkin, of the Washington-based Foundation on Economic Trends. The organization is pushing for a moratorium on genetically engineered crops until their environmental effects can be more thoroughly studied.
Losey, however, said that while he thinks the crop's harm to other insects deserves more research, studies have shown that the corn does not harm humans or other mammals. He added: "I still think the proven benefits of Bt corn outweigh the potential risks."
Losey's study has its critics. Monsanto spokesman Randy Krotz said monarch butterflies would not be exposed to the toxic pollen since most milkweed does not grow near corn fields. A representative for the Biotechnology Industry Organization said that drifting pesticide sprays were a greater danger than Bt corn pollen.
This is not the first time researchers have found that Bt corn negatively impacted the environment. Last year, a Swiss study showed insects called lacewings died more quickly if they fed on corn borers reared on Bt corn.
For 20 years, biotech laboratories have been altering the genetics of vegetables to make them taste better or resistant to pests, raising fears among environmentalists of "Frankenstein foods."