Retracted green light on GM crops feeds suspicions

[deek]

Cricket Tragic,

Again, I would agree with your observations regarding what might be understood from the literature in respect of people living near canola (oilseed rape) crops in the UK, however, it must be stressed that as the causal factor(s) has not been identified it is not possible to exonerate canola crops from causing illness in otherwise healthy individuals or from exacerbating existing respiratory conditions, in those who live in close proximity to the crops in the UK.

I would take this opportunity to advise of the following scientific recommendations that can also be understood from the same literature that you quote;

The following are the main research recommendations included within the Institute for Environment and Health Assessment on Oilseed Rape: Allergenicity and Irritancy (1997): -

• Studies should be carried out to determine whether levels of VOCs and/or fungal spores associated with oilseed rape can cause adverse health effects.
  
• Studies should be undertaken to follow potentially susceptible groups throughout the oilseed rape season, monitoring symptoms in conjunction with environmental factors.
  
• The interactions of particles derived from oilseed rape pollen with other air pollutants should be investigated.
  
• The concentrations, relative proportions and dispersal of VOCs produced by oilseed rape should be studied.

Perhaps CT you can remind me which of the above main research recommendation made by the IEH Scientific Committee (chaired by Prof. Holgate) have been subsequently funded and researched with the corresponding findings published in the learned journals.

Parratt, et al. July 1998 published a letter in the BMJ in response to Hemmer’s BMJ Editorial May 1998 which you also refer to above: -

Parratt advised “We have sought EU support to compare the putative causes of oilseed rape allergy/irritancy in European countries and the UK. No funding was forthcoming. Until such studies are undertaken there can be no satisfactory resolution of the public concern that oilseed rape is a genuine cause of ill health.”

[Cricket Tragic]

Originally Posted by screener

There are certainly people in Canada who try to stay indoors during canola flowering and know what it is that causes the allergic reaction which they are suffering. Basically anyone suffering such allergies here is a farm family member. Wouldn't do to overlook an important aspect like that.

screener, I am interested in your comment that people in Canada suffer allergies from flowering canola. I would be interested in seeing any evidence you have for this statement. I have seen nothing from Health Canada on this, nor was there anything in the papers when I lived there. I also never heard anyone mention a problem with canola when I lived on the Canadian prairies. Grass pollen absolutely, but not canola. This does not even get a mention on the anti-canola blogs from Canada.

[Cricket Tragic]

deek, I don’t disagree with what you said in this post. But more correctly, I am saying more than this. I am stating that a scientists from Canada or Germany or Australia or a bunch of other places would likely look at the evidence and say that there is not an increase in allergy symptoms in people living in close proximity to canola crops, not just in their local area, but in general. That scientist would then indicate that there is evidence for a potential impact in Scotland and might start to ask some questions about that.

The implication of this statement is that it is not canola per se that is to blame for the reports from Scotland. Possibilities include: 1) the cultivars of canola (I know you guys like to call it oilseed rape, but I am going to use canola for simplicity) grown in Scotland are very different to those grown elsewhere in the world and produce something that does result in these symptoms that other canola cultivars do not, 2) people in Scotland, for whatever reason, are peculiarly sensitive to canola compared with people elsewhere in the world, 3) something else in the environment in Scotland caused canola to behave like this, when it doesn’t do so anywhere else in the world, or 4) there was some other factor in the environment unrelated to canola that was the cause. None of these possibilities have been excluded by any research and the studies done in Scotland did not control for number 4.

[deek]

Cricket Tragic, I must stress a very important issue here.

Scientists must remove their blinkers and stop referring solely to allergy to canola crops. It is highly plausible that VOCs (terpenes) released from canola are causing allergy symptoms and these symptoms are unlikely to be IgE antibody-mediated. It is widely recognised in the fields of occupational and environmental medicine that one of the indicators of chemical sensitivity/irritancy is the reporting of headaches. It is my understanding that headaches have been quite a common complaint recorded in previous studies. This view has been anecdotally supported recently with search googling (e.g. oilseed+rape+headache) that has brought a noticeable number of visitors to my website over recent weeks.

[screener]

Originally Posted by Cricket Tragic

screener, I am interested in your comment that people in Canada suffer allergies from flowering canola. I would be interested in seeing any evidence you have for this statement. I have seen nothing from Health Canada on this, nor was there anything in the papers when I lived there. I also never heard anyone mention a problem with canola when I lived on the Canadian prairies. Grass pollen absolutely, but not canola. This does not even get a mention on the anti-canola blogs from Canada.

There are anti-canola blogs? do tell.. Would these be more in the way of anti GM canola blogs?

You are welcome to come here and get sneezed on by my daughter if you really want.

[Cricket Tragic]

Originally Posted by screener

There are anti-canola blogs? do tell.. Would these be more in the way of anti GM canola blogs?

You are welcome to come here and get sneezed on by my daughter if you really want.

Indeed there are. Didn't you know that canola oil was in fact a dangerous product only suitable for industial purposes and should never be consumed by humans? Apparently it causes all sorts of problems including: emphysema, respiratory distress, anemia, constipation, irritability, blindness, lung cancer and death.

THE DANGERS OF CANOLA OIL

The fact that most canola oil in Canada comes from GM plants only makes it worse.

That is fine, I can be sneezed on by my son. He always starts sneezing just as the canola is starting to flower. The trouble is it doesn't matter whether we have canola, wheat or barley growing around us, he sneezes every year anyway. His problem is grass pollen.

[Cricket Tragic]

deek, certainly there is a lot of research showing that allergens are present in canola pollen, just like they are in other pollens. Equally, screening tests tend not to pick up canola allergies, except among people with occupational exposure to canola grain dust. Also, I think I have already pointed out that the symptoms described in the studies from Scotland are not consistent with allergy. Indeed, one of the papers pointed this out. VOCs are a potential source of irritant and do contain compounds known to affect people with perfume allergies. However, a whole range of other species are known to produce these same compounds. Many of them are also produced in the vegetative stage as well as the flowering stage of the crop. Blackwell Synergy - Clin Exp Allergy, Volume 28 Issue 3 Page 332-338, March 1998 (Article Abstract)

None of this changes any of the points I made in my posts above. As the same condition has not been documented elsewhere, it would seem the only answer would be some particular event that was only occurring in Scotland. The 4 possibilities I listed above still remain regardless of whether pollen, VOCs or something else is the cause.

[prashamk]

The Institute of Science in Society - ISIS's view on GM Corps

http://www.its2hot.in/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=136

[Cricket Tragic]

prashamk, I don't usually do this, but Mae-Wan Ho who heads up I-SIS has a seriously warped idea of biology and of how chemistry works. If I want to read her ravings about Quantum Jazz for example, I can do so on her website. Quantum Jazz, The meaning of Life, the Universe and Everything Maybe you would like to discuss how that works on your forum?

Good luck.

[deek]

Cricket Tragic, just a wee point of correction - the health complaints relative to persons living in close proximity to canola are not confined to Scotland. Previous studies have recorded allergy type symptoms including occupational sensitisation in other areas of the UK (i.e. this is a UK wide problem).

Clearly there has been considerable work undertaken in Scotland by Parratt, et al and Soutar, et al but this does not imply the problem is confined to Scotland.