CRIIGEN press conference on the study of Prof. Séralini's group – INVITATION FOLLOWS AT THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

TOXICITY CONFIRMED FOR A GMO AND THE PESTICIDE ROUNDUP
COMPLAINTS OF DEFAMATION AGAINST CRITICS

Raw data released to a notary

CRIIGEN welcomes the confirmation of the research of Prof. Séralini's group on the long-term toxicity of Roundup, the most widely used herbicide in the world, and of a genetically modified (GM) maize which absorbs it without being killed. Both are products of Monsanto Company. This study has become one of the most frequently accessed in the world since it was published in September 2012 (Food and Chemical Toxicology, 50 (2012), 4221-4231). The journal, one of the best toxicological journals, did not retract the study, despite relentless pressure to do so. Now it has published Séralini's group’s detailed answers to critics (Food and Chemical Toxicology, 2013, online). The group has new experimental data on Roundup, which will soon be released.

Negative criticisms came from around 40 scientists or groups, including agencies responsible for GMO or pesticide authorisations. Most were subsequently revealed to have conflicts of interest, either directly with Monsanto Company, or with other commercial interests, or with bodies that had previously authorized the commercialization of these or similar products [i]. Most are not specialists in the areas of pesticide toxicology or GMO risk assessment and do not publish papers on these topics. CRIIGEN and the research team have received statements of support and positive comments from more than 300 scientists from 33 countries across five continents. In our opinion these scientists are more representative of the scientific community at large.

CRIIGEN also welcomes the fact that the French food safety agency ANSES and several countries, including France, have recognized that long-term tests on GMOs are needed and that of the toxicity of pesticides has been underestimated. A project in this direction has been submitted to the French Parliament. In addition, the Directorate General for Health and Consumers of the European Commission has disavowed EFSA's opinion on the lack of necessity of long term toxicity testing [ii]. Séralini's study revealed the laxity of assessment which has allowed the commercialization of such products, on the part of agencies including EFSA. Their serious professional misconducts could endanger public health and lives.

Séralini's team and CRIIGEN have just filed complaints of defamation against claims of "fraud" and "falsified data" that were respectively published in "Marianne" and "La Provence" by Jean-Claude Jaillette and Claude Allègre who is a member of the French association for plant biotechnologies (AFBV).  AFBV and its president Marc Fellous was convicted of defamation against Séralini’s team in 2011. Other complaints of defamation are in process. In 2013 we will launch other legal actions to force disclosure of hidden and poor quality toxicological data. These data were used by the regulatory agencies to enable the commercial release of the products that we tested, among others. To set an example, we are arranging the formal delivery of the raw data of our last study to a notary. We will make these public as soon as the regulatory agencies or Monsanto do the same for their data, or when governments consent to publish the industry data.  Thus the scientific community will have full access to all the data on these industrial products. This will enable a true assessment, contradictory and transparent, and not a pseudo-assessment distorted by lobbies that are more concerned with protecting their own interests than with public health.

[i] http://www.spinwatch.org.uk/-articles-by-category-mainmenu-8/46-gm-industry/5546-smelling-a-corporate-rat

[ii] http://www.gmwatch.org/latest-listing/51-2012/14524

EFSA suggests harmonised default values for use in risk assessment

We have some criticisms concerning the harmonised default values suggested by EFSA:

 First, the extrapolation of the exposure time. Using an uncertainty factor out of two factors implies that the effects are simply regarded as duplicated from a subchronic to a chronic study. This operation does not take into account the specific effects of chronic periods such as hormonal effects that may appear in the range of nanomolar or even less. Here, no factor is applicable because we can not foresee what may happen. Secondly, reducing the uncertainty factor of 100 to specific factors when knowing the toxicokinetic or toxicodynamic characteristics of a compound seems unjustifed. It is less cautious. Thirdly, there is only one adult category. It still lacks some subpopulation such as pregnant women who at present are "treated" like men weighing an average of 70 kg. Factors to convert a dietary dose to a physiological dose appear to be correct and the idea of using Benchmark doses to be more accurate than a LOAEL seems interesting. It avoids the uncertainty associated with the choice of experimental doses, but it must not fall into the trap of linear dose response paradigms.

Bt protein toxic to human cells 

 Caen/ München. Insecticidal Bt toxins such as those produced in genetically engineered plants can be detrimental to human cells. This is a result of recent research led by researchers at the University of Caen (France). Their experiments showed that toxins produced in, for example, the genetically engineered maize MON810, can significantly impact the viability of human cells. The effects were observed with relatively high concentrations of the toxins, nevertheless there is cause for concern. According to companies like Monsanto, which produces genetically engineered maize with these toxins, the toxins are supposed to be active only against particular insects and should have no effect on mammals and humans at all. For the first time, experiments have now shown that they can have an effect on human cells. These kinds of investigations are not a requirement for risk assessment in Europe or in any other region.  

Another finding of the researchers concerns a herbicide formulation sold under the brand name Roundup. Massive amounts of this herbicide are sprayed on genetically engineered soybean crops and its residues can be found in food and feed. According to the new publication, even extremely low dosages of Roundup (glyphosate formulations) can damage human cells.  These findings are in accordance with several other investigations highlighting unexpected health risks associated with glyphosate preparations.

A recent article (Snell Chelsea et al., Food and Chem. Tox.) provokes debate in December 2011. It was co-signed by Gérard Pascal who has contributed to allow the authorization of a large number of GMOs in french regulatory authorities. After reviewing - that is what he said - twenty-four long-term or over several generation studies, Gérard Pascal pretends that the latter demonstrate that GMOs in food are safe. Of course, this gentleman obediently produces the results of the manufacturers explaining that all significant effects compared to controls are not a problem as they are included within the "normal biological variation." So what is the point of having controls in an experiment then ? He does not carry out the statistics again, unlike we did. 

The authors qualifie as "long term" tests conducted over a few months on salmon or macaques, over two years on cows that live fifteen years, and that only lasted for a few weeks on chickens or quails, and they did not notice either that all these studies were not requested before the commercialization of the GMOs in question. Our reviews largely consulted by the scientific community (Séralini et al. Env. Sci. Europe, 2011, 23, 10-20, see the link on our website in the welcome page) detailing the contrary are ignored, which is not at all ethical from a scientific point of view. 

Never mind the subjectivity! Worse, the large number of long-term studies by Malatesta and colleagues on mice eating soybeans with Roundup, that we had already identified as highlighting the negative effects of GMOs (in depths liver, pancreatic, testicular cell disorders) are considered as showing nothing to the despair of  the authors in their conclusion! 

They re-judge international publications as they pleas, transform the findings or ignore them for very dubious or misleading reasons like: "the GM soy might not have grown next to a field non-GMO control before being eaten by mice!" When one is concerned by such matters instead of thinking about public health, isn’t there a risk of creating generations of students who will be ashamed of science? A perfect "stage" for contradictory expertise !

Near the Pont du Gard (south of France) in a magical and quiet place, LE MAS DU RIVET and his chef Jérôme Douzelet welcome you in the mythical village of Barjac, the setting of "Nos enfants nous accuseront".

Fine cuisine with natural and organic ingredients, local values of the soil, products and service quality are offered around the management team. Pierre Rabhi, Jean-Paul Jaud, Gilles-Eric Séralini have enjoyed staying here very much.

This is the location where we organize three day long CRIIGEN seminars, for strategic coordination:crucial events to prepare in 2012 for associations and businesses. This will be for groups of 10-20 people for whom we have reserved the facility. Conferences at a very competitive price will close as the registrations come in. Please join us immediately at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

DO NOT MISS: Updating on GMOs and Pesticides - Revelations for strategic national and international actions:first seminar in March 2012 with Prof Gilles-Eric Séralini and Dr Christian Vélot.

Registration

A new report reviewing 19 studies of mammals fed with commercialized GM soybean and maize (which represent more than 80% of all GMOs grown on a large scale) indicates liver and kidney signs of toxicity in mammals fed on a GM diet. The report by Gilles-Eric Séralini et al is published in Environmental Sciences Europe (2011, 23, 10-20). 

The authors studied data from biotech companies from 90-day-long feeding tests on rats that include biochemical blood and urine parameters of mammals eating GMOs modified for herbicide tolerance and insecticide production. The tests were conducted as a result of court actions or official requests and the authors reviewed the studies in the scientific literature. 

Though the tests may not point to chronic toxicity of GMOs since the 90 day period is too short, the authors nonetheless cautioned that the signs highlighted in the kidneys and livers could spell the onset of chronic diseases: on a total of 9% of disturbed parameters, 43% are concentrated in the kidneys of the male rats. The researchers suggested that more detailed and prolonged studies should be conducted. They underlined that since no minimal length for the tests is yet compulsory for any of the GMOs cultivated on a large scale, it was socially unacceptable in terms of consumer health. 

The authors also suggested an alternative to conventional feeding trials, to understand the biological significance of statistical differences. This approach will make it possible to avoid both false negative and false positive results, in order to improve safety assessments of agricultural GMOs before their commercialization for cultivation for food and feed as well as for imports. This is the most comprehensive review on this topic to date. 

The full paper is available at: http://www.enveurope.com/content/23/1/10

CRIIGEN is filing a complaint against Marc Fellous and the AFBV for forgery and use of forgery

CRIIGEN and Prof. Gilles-Eric SERALINI have submitted a complaint to the Public Prosecutor of Paris on May 20^th 2011, for forgery and the use of forgery in relation to a document that was produced in Court by Prof. Marc FELLOUS and the AFBV (Association Française des Biotechnologies Végétales), during a trial at the end of which Marc FELLOUS was convicted of defamation against Gilles-Éric SERALINI, on January 18^th 2011. The plaintiffs are shocked by such attitudes, especially since the declarations of the AFBV defamatory letters were pretending to react to the dissemination of  “false information” and  “stretching of the rules of scientific neutrality”. 

Furthermore, during the defamation trial that was won by Prof. SERALINI, a connection was established between the AFBV and the biotechnology firms. CRIIGEN and Prof. Gilles-Eric SERALINI would like to thank very warmly the more than 1100 scientists of 35 different countries who expressed their support, as well as about 12,000 citizens, and the Fondation Sciences Citoyennes, the European Network of Scientists for Social and Environmental Responsibility ENSSER and many other societies, foundations and organizations. These people have signed a petition in favour of a healthy and contradictory debate, beyond lies, disgraceful acts, and biased interests that tread on health and environment risk studies, mostly where agricultural GMOs and pesticides are concerned.

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Lawyer Bernard Dartevelle :  This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Tel : + 33 1 43 12 55 80

TO PREVENT THE EFFECTS OF POLLUTANTS

AND TO DETOXIFY OUR CELLS: IT IS POSSIBLE ! 

Prof. Seralini's group in the University of Caen and CRIIGEN (www.criigen.org) demonstrate the negative effects of common pollutants (the herbicides Roundup or Atrazine, the plasticizer BisphenolA) on human cells. Extracts of organic plants in precise combinations are rapidly able to prevent or cure at least in part these cellular effects. These have been made by Sevene Pharma Company. This work opens the door of a new ecomedicine, which does not avoid a stronger regulation of pesticides and other pollutants.

Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it