Séralini study does not provide evidence of GM maize health risks
(11 October 2012) According to the results of a
long-term feeding study at the University of Caen in France, genetically
modified NK603 maize leads to severe health problems in rats. However, the
results are disputed in scientific circles. The European Food Safety Authority
(EFSA), the German Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL)
and the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) have concluded that the
authors’ deductions are not justified because of shortcomings in the study
design and in the data evaluation and presentation methods.
Genetically modified NK603 maize and the herbicide
Roundup are said to lead to increased cancer and kidney damage in rats,
according to the conclusions drawn by the scientists involved in the study. The
research was led by Gilles-Eric Séralini of the University of Caen, who informed
the press of the research findings on 19 September. The NK603 maize used in the
study was developed by Monsanto and is resistant to the active herbicide
ingredient  glyphosate. It has been authorized for food and feed use in the EU
since 2004, but not for cultivation.
Séralini’s team conducted feeding experiments with rats
over the entire lifespan of the animals, which was around two years. Séralini
reports that 50 per cent of the male rats and 70 per cent of the female rats
died prematurely, compared with only 30 and 20 per cent respectively in the
control group. The main cause of the higher mortality rate in the female rats
was reported to be breast cancer, while the male rats died of liver and kidney
damage and skin cancer. Séralini interprets the findings as a clear indication
that the herbicide and the substances in the GM maize disrupt the animals’
hormonal system, triggering organ damage and cancer.
The preliminary reviews of this study, conducted by EFSA
and the relevant German authorities, BfR and BVL, are now available. According
to these reports, there is insufficient experimental evidence to support the
hypothesis that rats die earlier when fed on GM maize. “There are flaws in the
study design and in the statistical evaluation, so the authors’ conclusions are
not supported by the data,” says Professor Reiner Wittkowski, Vice President of
the BfR.
A number of scientists had also been very critical of the
study the moment it was published. In particular they criticise the following
aspects:
The type of rat used is naturally extremely prone to
tumours. Various studies have shown the disease rate without test material (i.e.
when the rats are fed a healthy diet) to be between 60 per cent and over 90 per
cent.
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The control group of ten rats was extremely small.
This means that the study results are not statistically significant and
represent purely random values. The OECD standard is 50 individuals per
control group.
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The effects measured were not dose-related. In other
words, the disease rate did not rise when more GM maize was added to the
food, as you would expect if the GM maize were the cause of the diseases.
Séralini drew attention to himself in 2007 with study
results that he claimed pointed to health risks associated with MON863 GM maize.
This research was partly financed by Greenpeace. After evaluating his results,
EFSA and the German Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL)
both concluded that they do not provide any evidence of health risks.
Further information:
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