A broad-based scientific study released today at a Washington, DC press conference finds that genetic engineering of soybeans leads to accumulation of formaldehyde — a known carcinogen with zero tolerance in foods — and depletes glutathione, a vital anti-oxidant.
The research report was published today in the journal Agricultural Sciences. Researcher Dr. V. A. Shiva Ayyadurai used an integrated analysis of 6,497 experiments in 23 nations to confirm these findings. You can download the press release at this link.
The research paper and related commentary are available on the web at this link.
Dr. Ray Seidler, former Senior Scientist for EPA, is quoted in the release saying, “Formaldehyde is a known Class 1 carcinogen. Its elevated presence in soybeans caused by a common genetic engineering event is alarming and deserves immediate attention and action from the FDA and the Obama administration.”
We’ve seen previous lab results showing the presence of formaldehyde in GMO corn. One of our Minnesota friends joked at a seminar that farmers raising GMO corn “can get discounts from the undertaker because they’re already partly embalmed.”
We hired lab tests of corn from the sample collection box at a local elevator in February 2014. The tests conducted by Energy Laboratories showed as much as .091 parts per million formaldehyde in the corn.
Some farmers speculate that the scent of formaldehyde in GMO corn in the field is one reason deer and other wildlife will browse non-GMO crops in preference to genetically modified grain and stover. These are simply anecdotal observations. But they point to a need for intense analysis of GMO crop composition, well beyond the presumption that traited crops are “substantially equivalent” to conventional non-GMO crops.
Dr. Ayyadurai says, “This is not a pro- or anti-GMO question. But are we following the scientific method to ensure the safety of our food supply? Right now, the answer is ‘no.’ We need to, and we can — if we engage in open, transparent and collaborative scientific discourse, based on a systems approach.”
Dr. Don Huber, Professor Emeritus, Purdue University, has been following the development of this study and the previous related scientific papers from Dr. Ayyadurai, which are available at the link above.
Dr. Huber alerted us to the release today, noting that “Dr. Ayyadurai’s work is a very thorough, scientific approach. This provides a basis for objective dialog and directed future research. It concerns the deterioration of health in America.”