GMO's and Tumor Formation

     Long term testing on Genetically Modified Foods and Roundup are almost impossible to find. September 2012 may go down in the history books due to the publication of testing on Roundup and GMO corn. Animals were exposed to 1 part per billion Roundup in their drinking water or to a diet which consisted of 11%, 22% or 33% GMO corn. All treated groups died 2-3 times more than control animals given pure water and corn which had not been genetically modified.
     Tumor incidence soared in animals exposed to GMO's and Roundup. In female animals no tumors appeared in control groups for 14 months. Tumors appeared in 10-30% of the animals in treated groups. By the 24th month 50-80% of females in all treated groups had up to 3 tumors per animal. Only 30% of the control grouip had cancers. The most common tumor in female animals was breast cancer.
     Male animals developed massive tumors. Most tumors were in the skin. Other organs affected by the test substances were the kidney, liver and digestive tract.
    The authors of the study commented, "The first large detectable tumors occurred at 4 and 7 months into the study in males and females respectively, underlining the inadequacy of the standard 90 day feeding trials for evaluati8ng GM crop and food toxicity."
     Any GMO study of this nature is going to be highly controversial because Monsanto, the key player behind GMO foods, is one of American's most successful and profitable companies.
    Russia suspended the import and use of American GM corn the day after the announcement of the European study discussed above. The European Food Safety Authority ordered its own review of the research. GM corn is not fed to people in Europe but it is used to feed animals. Pro-GM scientists have been lining up to undermire the French experiments and criticize the way they were conducted. Monsanto, manufacturer of the GM corn, said it did not think the French study would affect its license to export the corn to Europe.
References:
Mail Online Response to GM Study
Reuters Article
Washington Post Article
Seralini, Gilles-Eric, Clair, Emillie, et al., Long term toxicity of a Roundup herbicide and a Roundup-tolerant genetically modified maize, Chem. Toxicol. (2012).
Click here for the study including photographs of the tumors on animals fed GMO corn or water with Roundup.