CDC: No StarLink Allergies
The federal government has told 28 people tested for possible allergic reactions to genetically modified StarLink corn that their illnesses were not caused by eating the corn, reports CBS News Correspondent Wyatt Andrews.
StarLink, specially engineered to produce its own insecticide, is not approved for human use because of worries about possible human allergies to the Cry9c protein it contains. It is supposed to be used solely in animal feed, the only GM product with that designation.
Last year, the corn was discovered in several products on grocery store shelves. The news sparked recalls and led the manufacturer and federal government to buy up the entire StarLink crop. The USDA and commercial farms are still testing corn grain for traces of StarLink.
An EPA science panel, meanwhile, is considering allowing StarLink in human foods. The question of whether people got sick eating it last year is central to that decision.
After an eight-month investigation, the government said Wednesday that whatever caused the 28 people to report allergic symptoms, it was not a Starlink allergy.
In a letter from the Centers for Disease Control, those tested were told their blood "did not react to this specific protein."
That was a stunning conclusion to Grace Booth, whose reaction to an enchilada was so severe, she went to the hospital.
"I know that whatever happened to me is very serious and I'm terrified that its going to happen again," she told CBS News in a December interview.
The negative test results are a watershed because for months, fear of Starlink allergies led to an upheaval in the U.S. corn crop and millions in lost corn exports.
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"We've found there's just been no negative impact of this whatsoever that could be linked to his protein," said Mike Phillips, a spokesman for the Biotech Industry Organization.
Corn growers and the corn's manufacturer, Aventis, will likely use the test results to press for changing that ban on StarLink in human food. In a preliminary report issued last December, the EPA science panel weighing StarLink's status found it had a "medium likelihood" of being an allergen and a "low probability" of triggering allergies.
Both the EPA and Aventis released studies in April showing that by the time StarLink is processed into corn oil or syrup, none of the suspected allergen remained. That meant last autumn's recalls, while required by law, may not have been scientifically necessary.
Environmental groups, however, say its too soon to declare StarLink safe. The government blood tested 17 people, when critics claim hundreds reported reactions to StarLink.
"This test is not conclusive evidence that says StarLink is safe for human consumption," said Matt Rand of the National Environmental Trust. "We should not be eating this until we've had a thorough investigation."
Critics of StarLink — and GM foods in general — say the government does too little to regulate them.
The FDA has proposed new rules offering guidelines for voluntary labeling of biotech food and required the FDA be notified of new biotech products. But the FDA, which treats biotech food like all other food products, does not do its own testing.
However, the StarLink scare has encouraged commercial farmers to test their corn grain. Many of their contracts with buyers now require such testing.
A tiny minority of corn farmers have called on the federal government to help them test. The USDA reported last month that testing of this small and perhaps biased sample of harvested corn showed varying levels of contamination with StarLink, ranging from 0 to 22 percent depending on which test is used.
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