Greenpeace alerts public on dangers of GMO's

New Delhi, January 6, 2000

Prior to the inauguration of the Bright Sparks Biotechnology tour organised by the British Council, Greenpeace activists displayed posters and distributed information on the environmental and health risks of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO's).

Greenpeace pointed out that the British Council was being used as a tool by the advocates of genetic engineering to build a false image of this technology here in India and to create new market opportunities for themselves. The scheduled tour, comprising several proponents of GE focused only on cities, with many of the discussions taking place in closed sessions with invited audiences of biotech professionals and scientists.

"It is alarming to see the manner in which a number of institutions and forums such as these are being indiscriminately used to promote GMO's. Simultaneously, due to very little public awareness on the issue, there is no real debate, said Michelle Chawla, Greenpeace's Genetic Engineering Campaigner in India. "There is an urgent need to demystify the issue of GMO's to enable citizens to understand and raise issues in forums like this one, " she added.

Cautioning the urban citizens that GMO's would soon hit their markets, Greenpeace warned that besides the adverse environmental implications GMO's also posed a serious risk to human and animal health.

Introducing untried, untested and foreign material into food (scientists are introducing genes from bacteria, scorpions and jellyfish) increased the risk of allergic reactions in humans.

Many genetically engineered crops contain an antibiotic resistant 'marker' gene which could spread to harmful bacteria and render them immune to the effects of the antibiotic. This could add to the already alarming medical problem of the spread of disease-causing bacteria that are immune to common antibiotics.

It is ironical that in the U.K these health impacts have been acknowledged and in fact the British Medical Association comprising 119,000 members have demanded a moratorium on the commercial planting of GM crops, specifically asking for a ban on the use of antibiotic resistant marker genes in GM food.

Notes to editors

The Bright Sparks tour, "Biotechnology - its Impacts on Food and Health" is being organized by the British Council and is being co-funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth office, London. Further details available at http://www.britishcouncil.org/india/science/brightsparks.html

Scientists touring India to discuss biotechnology, funded by the British Government, are:

Prof. Nancy Lane

Prof. Richard Perham

Prof. Ian Hutchinson

Prof. Janet Bainbridge

Prof. Jamshed Tata

Dr Tom Wakeford

---

For more information contact Michelle Chawla, Genetic Engineering Campaigner, Greenpeace India.

Tel: 91-11-6962932. Mobile: (0) 9820182304

Email: [email protected]

 

 

Subscribe to our free newsletter! Read previous issues

Discuss environmental issues

LinkShare Referral Program

Hosted by www.Geocities.ws