GM maize 'has polluted rivers across the United States'

By Steve Connor, Science Editor

Tuesday, 28 September 2010

An insecticide used in genetically modified (GM) crops grown extensively in the United States and other parts of the world has leached into the water of the surrounding environment.

The insecticide is the product of a bacterial gene inserted into GM maize and other cereal crops to protect them against insects such as the European corn borer beetle. Scientists have detected the insecticide in a significant number of streams draining the great corn belt of the American mid-West.

The researchers detected the bacterial protein in the plant detritus that was washed off the corn fields into streams up to 500 metres away. They are not yet able to determine how significant this is in terms of the risk to either human health or the wider environment.

"Our research adds to the growing body of evidence that corn crop byproducts can be dispersed throughout a stream network, and that the compounds associated with genetically modified crops, such as insecticidal proteins, can enter nearby water bodies," said Emma Rosi-Marshall of the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, New York.

GM crops are widely cultivated except in Britain and other parts of Europe. In 2009, more than 85 per cent of American corn crops were genetically modified to either repel pests or to be tolerant to herbicides used to kill weeds in a cultivated field.

The GM maize, or corn as it is called in the US, has a gene from the bacterium Bacillus thuriengensis (Bt) inserted into it to repel the corn borer beetle. The Bt gene produces a protein called Cry1Ab which has insectidical properties.

The study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, analysed 217 streams in Indiana. The scientists found 86 per cent of the sites contained corn leaves, husks, stalks or cereal cobs in their channels and 13 per cent contained detectable levels of the insectidical Cry1Ab proteins.

"The tight linkage between corn fields and streams warrants further research into how corn byproducts, including Cry1Ab insecticidal proteins, potentially impact non-target ecosystems, such as streams and wetlands," Dr Rosi-Marshall said.

All of the stream sites with detectable insecticidal proteins were located within 500 metres of a corn field. The ramifications are vast just in Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana, where about 90 per cent of the streams and rivers – some 159,000 miles of waterways – are also located within 500 metres of corn fields.

After corn crops are harvested, a common agricultural practice is to leave discarded plant material on the fields. This "no-till" form of agriculture minimises soil erosion, but it then also sets the stage for corn byproducts to enter nearby stream channels.

  • mb007
    The insecticide in GM crops (Bt) causes an immune response in insects that can survive its toxicity. Any immune response in insects causes cognitive impairment of those insects. Bees are specifically prone to Bees memory loss from an immune response in winter, as Bees can get no Pollen protein in winter and that Pollen protein is used by Bees for their immune response and also used by Bees to create a memory. So as a result of the immune response to GM Bt toxin, Bees use up all their protein reserves and have no protein left to form a memory and so the Bees can not remember where their own Bee hive is located. Thus Colony Collapse Disorder is created. And CCD was only seen after GM Bt crops were widely used.
  • mb007
    The insecticide in GM crops (Bt) causes an immune response in all insects that can survive its toxicity. Any immune response in any insect causes cognitive impairment of that insect. Bees are specifically prone to memory loss from an immune response in winter, as Bees can get no Pollen protein in winter and that Pollen protein is used by Bees for their immune response and also used by Bees to create their memory. So as a result of the immune response to GM Bt toxin, Bees use up all their protein reserves and have no protein left to form a memory and so the Bees can not remember where their own Bee hive is located. Thus Colony Collapse Disorder is created, Bees disappear from the hive and no dead Bees are found. And CCD was only seen after GM Bt was widely planted.
  • THE TRUE FACE OF FRANKENSTEIN FOOD
  • mb007
    The insecticide in GM crops (Bt) causes an immune response in all insects that can survive its toxicity. Any immune response in any insect causes cognitive impairment of that insect. Bees are specifically prone to memory loss from an immune response in winter, as Bees can get no Pollen protein in winter and that Pollen protein is used by Bees for their immune response and also used by Bees to create their memory. So as a result of the immune response to GM Bt toxin, Bees use up all their protein reserves and have no protein left to form a memory and so the Bees can not remember where their own Bee hive is located. Thus Colony Collapse Disorder is created, Bees disappear from the hive and no dead Bees are found. And CCD was only seen after GM Bt was widely planted.
  • morgbug
    Unfortunately I'm not lacking. What happens beyond the gut is no longer relevant. The mode of action for Bt, regardless of strain, is to be activated by a basic gut. This activation causes the formation of crystals that rupture the insects' gut. This is how Bt kills insects. Now if you're contending that Bt can survive a strongly acidic (I assume that you understand that your use of "more acidic" is really a grandiose understatement given HCl in the gut has a pH of 1-2, hardly weak) gut then please provide proof. Otherwise digestion handles the protein quite readily and your concerns beyond the stomach are not relevant. I will accept responsibility for not explicitly explaining the digestion process but I erroneously assumed that someone like yourself that can tell one so much about the range of pH in the digestive tract might have considered that.
  • Don't forget Australia mate, GM grown here,
  • Jason_Wise
    I wish people would do their research on the subject here. Here is what I found in 10 minutes of research and there are 100s more where this came from. The body structure, or anatomy, of the frog is very similar to the anatomy of man. Both man and the frog have the same kinds of organs and systems of organs. The frog's anatomy, however, is much simpler. http://www.lookd.com/frogs/anatomy.html ?RoundUp? (R) Herbicide Not Deadly Enough: Monsanto?s New Version Contains 70% Agent Orange! http://www.healthfreedomusa.org/?p=2915 But the real shock came when the rats started dying. Within three weeks, 25 of the 45 (55.6%) rats from the GMO soy group died compared to only 3 of 33 (9%) from the non-GMO soy group and 3 of 44 (6.8%) from the non-soy controls. http://www.savvyvegetarian.com/articles/GE-rat-babies.php GM foods are particularly dangerous for pregnant women and children. After GM soy was fed to female rats, most of their babies died?compared to a 10% deaths among controls fed natural soy.² http://hippocratesinst.org/avoid-genetically-modified-food
  • Old_Horse_Put_Out_To_Pasture
    I don't know where the idea is coming from that Homo Sapiens is close to the frog. Also, AFAIK "the big frog death" is due to fungi? "Mice feed GMO offsping die soon after birth and some have deformities. " In other news, mice shown red plastic panels have offspring with high blood pressure. I always wonder where those arbitrary scare stories with optional causal linkage come from.
  • seeing as the form of BT used is also a ramped up lab variety, it sure is going to have a different action than the naturally occurring Bt in soils ever did. as Bigneil mentions, to get a Patent they Prove its Novel and Unique, then in the next breath they tell us it is "substantially equivalent" which is GM Speak for the same as..so? its either totally different or it isnt..Any food that now carries a whole of plant pesticide is NOT the same as normal plants and therfore should have been subject to human lab trial same as ALL chemical drugs are. On ABC National radios science show on sat the 25th sept Lord Mandelson said it was a Clinical Trial with (almost?) no problems..well? how the hell would anyone be able to know? as they refuse to allow labelling ! asthmas and food allergies ARE on the rise, as is diabetes and obesity and all in the last 10+ years, same time frame as widespread Human ingestion of Unlabelled GM foods. Using people for Clinical trials without their consent? wouldn't that be ILLEGAL?
  • Jason_Wise
    GMO is poison for the masses! Round Up ready corn Absorbs the Round Up herbicide into the plant and then We Stupid People eat the corn produced, therefore ingesting the herbicide. Test show it's killing Frogs spiecies off across the planet where it is grown. People, We are very closely related to the frog's. Why do we in school dissect them and study their anatomy? Cause it's like ours. GMO has never been proving safe, but always showed Side-Affects. Mice feed GMO offsping die soon after birth and some have deformities. Franken-food should not be allowed to be made from these Mad Scientist called Genetic engineers. Nature does not put insect genes with vegetable genes or animal genes in vegetable and or vegetable genes in other species. That is Un-Natural, as the word implies. If gene swapping was meant to happen then nature would have already done it and we would have flying insect tomatoes and such things.
  • naga64
    Steve you have it wrong when you say, "GM crops are widely cultivated except in Britain and other parts of Europe." They make up a tiny proportion of total agricultural production, and 94% of all GMOs are grown in only 6 countries: US, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, India and China. And significant acreages of only 4 crops are grown: soy, maize, rapeseed, and cotton. And no GM crop commercialized to date increases yields, and a growing body of evidence shows that they do not reduce pesticide use and that they are associated with significant increased in risk of cancer and birth defects. All in all, NOT the miracle solution to the world's food crisis that proponents claim! Check out this link for a summary of the science challenging GM soy: http://www.gmwatch.eu/component/content/article/12479-reports-reports
  • correction NO wheat for sale is GM...YET! though some cretins in Aus In West Aus have approved GM Wheat trials to happen, and for NSW also soon.. they tried to bully the candian aus and usa pop to believe that everyone wants to grow it..there was an uproar they backed off as in 2004 but they are now BUYING their way into our Publicly paid for research and plant varieties, along with american interests! they gain access to our plant genomes and get govt handouts to Ruin our GM free wheat and trade status, underhanded bastards is too polite!
  • they said a lot of things were safe..like vioxx and statins, like Bpa,chlordates, organophosphates, asbestos..the list goes on, its money and sales over safety. the FDA is basically an industry appendage, in Aus they hang off a sheep butt, and we call them Dags :-)
  • Organic growers Only use Bt when a pest problem is happening, and its a natural form that washes off. The Bt in the lab bred strain is many thousands of times stronger and is in the entire plant till it rots, and then it has been found IN the surrounding soils, Any hi strength Bt will be affecting the surrounding microflora, what that result will be remains to be seen, but it will have an effect. we have seen how bacteria overcome antibiotics, isnt that? a good warning for moderation and some care?
  • dbelton
    Interesting that the digestive tract of humans basically ranges from acidic to alkaline. The esophagus, mouth, throat, etc.. is a very weak acidic. The stomach is more acidic, but.. when it gets to the small intestine, the bile dumped into the digestive tract neutralizes the acid and it becomes alkaline. The pancreatic duct also dumps bicarbonate into the mix as well, making it even more alkaline. Sadly, it appears that you are fairly lacking as much of what you said can be simply addressed if you look beyond basic media and activism.
  • This entire discussion is what almost always results when science meets articles of faith: both sides talk past each other, generating more heat than light.
  • Remember: GMO Corn is SO different that it's patented.

    HOWEVER, GMO corn should not require ANY safety testing or labeling, because it's SO much like regular corn! It should be GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe).

    That's the actual logic employed by the Pro-GMO people on this forum as they try to sound all scientific.
  • icarus_69
    I'm not sure where you're going here. I wasn't pushing GM, or organic, or conventional. I was simply asking two relevant questions. Your first question is important. Your second is not relevant to the question of current pollution. The third has an obvious answer, that is also not relevant to this question. There is also no contradiction in wishing to feed the current population and also desiring a reduction in population. But I wasn't writing about that.
  • While you're asking so many questions - how about asking how many pesticides would run-off from an organic field of corn? Or asking what percentage of history GMO foods have been around? And asking whether humans survived before GMO foods? Funny how the same people who are pushing GMO food (which sterilizes mice and rats) are also pushing for population reduction, yet they say GMO food is to "feed the world". I like the idea of people starving when there is not enough organic food to feed them.
  • Raise11 wrote "I guess it's harder to be sensationalist if you give all the facts... "

    ALL the facts? Like how many shares of Biotech Raise11 owns?

    Despite the self-glorifying mission of the Pro-GMO group to make profits - I mean -"feed the hungry" - even they (all three of them) can see that the overwhelming majority of people on this forum are opposed to GMO foods. Most of us would rather eat one ear of organic corn than 2 ears of corn with bugs mixed in. Mixing plants and animals is something that NEVER happens in nature, so no matter how many times you pretend GMO food is the same as hybrid, it's not.

    I suppose Raise11 is the one saying GMO food shouldn't be labeled because it would confuse consumers.
  • icarus_69
    Clearly research is needed on this, but two questions stand out: Is there any danger from the pesticide in the water courses? Is that danger greater or less than the run-off of the pesticides that would have been used on crops not so modified? Without these answers, we cannot evaluate the primary research.
  • g0annahead
    yeAh yeah GM has done all it promised. World hunger is no longer a problem and that tomatoe on the shelf, thou it looks only days old, is actually 6 weeks picked! GM made millionaires out of the Indian farmers "The GM genocide: Thousands of Indian farmers are committing suicide after using genetically modified crops " and there aren't no pig that dont have patent. Next week : glow in the dark lamb cutlets from cloned asses. And the EU continues (to do what it does best, pushing its doctrine and ignore the very people it represents) by approving the growing genetically modified crops (hell aren't your pockets full already!) the very month unauthorised German BASF GM potatoes are found in Sweden. Avaaz has a good petition
  • Your reply is very informative, but leaves us wondering... Why has Bt been found in human intestines after eating Bt soy or corn if it supposedly remains inactive in humans? What about the Bt producing GMOs migrating into soil systems and disrupting the healthy bacterial balance? It doesn't seem so clear cut. More research is sorely needed. Would be interested in hearing any explanations you have to offer.
  • See our new comment above -- submitted about 3 minutes ago. This is more in reply to Raise11.
  • The concentration of Bt in genetically engineered plants is approximately 1,000 times that of topical applications used in organic farming and thus the probable cause of the contamination. There is also evidence that the genetically modified organisms producing the Bt can self propagate, migrate through entire soil systems, and even mutate human intestinal flora so that it produces Bt in the gut after ingestion of a Bt food. So much more research is warranted. See Institute for Responsible Technology's website to learn more.
  • steviebeee
    if things have taken millions of years to elvolve , how can we think for one second there will be no side effects from anything man made . stevie beee
  • SPQR9
    Everything is "implicated" in colony collapse disorder, including the cancellation of the TV show "Firefly".
  • ajkmsteph
    Slight problem - this is an relatively old publication and it also assumes that the Bt is harmful being in the stream - the corn was in the stream so was its protein content and the Bt is a nano fraction of its content. There has been lots of commentary on this for several months - this is not exactly news !
  • skylogic
    Surely you can see the difference between using Bt as a pesticide by applying it to crops (as sometimes in Organic agriculture) ... and INCORPORATING the toxin INSIDE the very structure of the food itself ! ! ? ?
  • g0annahead
    yeAh yeah GM has done all it promised. World hunger is no longer a problem and that tomatoe on the shelf, thou it looks only days old, is actually 6 weeks picked! yum, yum. GM made millionaires out of the Indian farmers "The GM genocide: Thousands of Indian farmers are committing suicide after using genetically modified crops " and there aren't no pig that dont have patent. Next week : glow in the dark lamb cutlets from cloned asses. And the EU continues (to do what it does best, pushing its doctrine and ignore the very people it represents) by approving the growing genetically modified crops (hell aren't your pockets full already!) the very month unauthorised German BASF GM potatoes are found in Sweden. avaaz.org has a good petition
  • skylogic
    from Wikipedia .... GM maize-fed rats were compared first to their respective isogenic or parental non-GM equivalent control groups, followed by comparison to six reference groups, which had consumed various other non-GM maize varieties. According to the authors, "Our analysis clearly reveals for the 3 GMOs new side effects linked with GM maize consumption, which were sex- and often dose-dependent. Effects were mostly associated with the kidney and liver, the dietary detoxifying organs, although different between the 3 GMOs. Other effects were also noticed in the heart, adrenal glands, spleen and haematopoietic system. We conclude that these data highlight signs of hepatorenal toxicity, possibly due to the new pesticides specific to each GM corn. In addition, unintended direct or indirect metabolic consequences of the genetic modification cannot be excluded.
  • Just because organic farms can use Bt, does not mean they all do, or that they think it should be used. The corporate powers that be have had their say in the organic farm rulemaking.
  • If it kills more than what is in the field, it is unnecessarily killing things we need for ecosystems to function properly.
  • skylogic
    No matter what it's "origin" the artificial splicing of it's genes into food crops is still a highly questionable strategy ! It is allso implicated in "Colony collapse Disorder" in Bees allso ... Back to the subject of "user-names" .... does yours illustrate your Imperialist leanings ?
  • Hesperidean
    This reminds me of the lead added to petrol many years ago which, it was long later on found out, was prejudicial to our health. Big revenues are by far preferred to our welfare. And as can be seen with GM food, history repeats itself.
  • stewartpa
    I wonder which writer is lining up to write the sequel to Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring". Why doesn't the world love Americans? Part of the answer is the damage that they allow their global corporations to inflict on our planet. Still they don't believe in evolution in some states - what can you expect?
  • SPQR9
    You've got the "bad science" inverted.
  • SPQR9
    You seem not to realize that Bt is an approved treatment under most "organic" protocols. So what is the "tosh" part?
  • SPQR9
    You don't seem to understand the origin of Bt at all.
  • Well, most plants have "cide" mechanisms, actually. That fresh green scent of cucumber? That's a "cide" (doi:10.1038/ng.475). And alfalfa has L-canavanine that kills (doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.1000128). You are going to have to avoid plants as food, I'm afraid.
  • Raise11
    People are getting very confused in this forum. Not helped by the journalist being fairly sloppy. Despite the article pushing the view that GM is releasing evil poison, it completely fails to mention that the insecticide in question is also used in organic farming. So users complaining that Bt is obviously dangerous should also avoid organic food... The safety in question here is not a GM question, it's a insecticide question (and has exactly the same implications for organic farmers). I guess it's harder to be sensationalist if you give all the facts...
  • Raise11
    People are getting very confused in this forum. Not helped by the journalist being fairly sloppy. Despite the article pushing the view that GM is releasing evil poison, it completely fails to mention that the insecticide in question is also used in organic farming. So users complaining that Bt is obviously dangerous should also avoid organic food... The safety in question here is not a GM question, it's a insecticide question (and has exactly the same implications for organic farmers). I guess it's harder to be sensationalist if you give all the facts...
  • skylogic
    well ... I'm not a "scientist" .... but I know that plants don't "want" to be eaten by humans or animals and it is actually a slow evolutionary "arms-race" between the plants making compounds to protect themselves and our guts and our systems adapting to deal with those compounds . .... But to compare that with artificially inserted "Bt toxin" is very questionable !
  • morgbug
    See above comment as I had to edit this one.
  • morgbug
    I'd suggest the 'science editor' bone up on his science: European corn borer is not a beetle. It is in the Order Lepidoptera, in this case the adult a moth, the juvenile stage a caterpillar. Beetles would be in the Order Coleoptera. Bt "toxin" is not a danger to humans; it requires a basic or alkaline gut to activate the protein and humans have an acidic gut so it remains inactive. As far as non-target effects, those would be restricted to any Lepidoptera found in the water foraging on the Bt in whatever form it is in, presumably pollen. Since there are extremely few aquatic Lepidoptera and those that are present are not feeding on corn pollen in streams. Other insect groups would not be affected because this strain of Bt affects only Lepidoptera and not other Orders. The effects would be no different than residue from an organic field spraying Bt and having runoff enter a water body. Sadly it appears that the science is fairly lacking as much of this can be simply addressed if people would just look beyond basic media and activism.
  • skylogic
    Well "Spudgun" in terms of user names do you think we should consider the "spud" part of yours as representative of you ? ! ... or just the "gun" part ? .. P.S. ... I suppose that's a genetically modified spud ?
  • rabbitlug
    It's not just happening in the USA, GM weeds have been happily infesting old Blighty for over a decade. Our illustrious government sanctioned the planting of fields full of GM rape crops and then expected hedges to contain it and keep it from going wild. It's in the ecosystem now, I cannot see how it can be stopped from propagating. From the moment such testing begins in the wild, we lose control over it. http://www.foe.co.uk/news/2001_november_november_30.html
  • I also posted the link to the paper when I found it at PNAS, but it also appears to be in moderator hell. And I generally don't turn to Wikipedia for science, but thanks.
  • Spudgun
    I'd reconsider the 'logic' part of your user name, if I were you.
  • Midwinter1947
    Re: 'why can't newspapers actually give a complete reference?' Look up Emma Rosi-Marshall in Wikipedia and find the Newsletter on the 'About Us' tab.

    ps I posted the actual link some time ago but the Moderator seems not to like me doing that.
  • Dano2
    You are confusing the FDA approval process with scientific methodology. And perhaps forgetting these are private, for-profit genes. Thanks! Best, D
  • skylogic
    any thing with "cide" as part of it's name is obviously a poison ... so how can anyone pretend that something that can kill insects (which are a notoriously robust lifeform) will have no detrimental effect on human and other lifeforms ?
  • How could this happen? I thought scientists know everything and there can be no unexpected side effects? I mean they said it was safe.
  • Midwinter1947
    I looked up Emma Rosi-Marshall on Wikipedia and go this reference - it may help: http://www.caryinstitute.org/ecofocus_2010-02-14.html.
  • Midwinter1947
    'A little knowledge is a dangerous thing' is an apt aphorism to bear in mind in relation to the exploitation of GM technologies. The wider and long-term implications of GM are simply not known.
  • CrewsControl
    But we love neo-liberal Western Capitalism, judged by the fact we keep voting for it. Even former Living Marxists like Furedi and the Fox ladies embrace it now. Pollution is just a little side effect of economic growth.
  • activesail
    It says something when a crop field has to be de-contaminated, after the crop has been harvested.. Mmmmm I just love insecticidal proteins with milk.
  • VivaLaRevolution
    "They are not yet able to determine how significant this is in terms of the risk to either human health or the wider environment." Yet The good old US of A has been saying for years that GM is safe. It is all tosh. They know nothing and just want everyones money each year. Interestingly enough the GM might be leaching into the water, but it is already in the wheat they are eating anyway. So if they do not know the effect of the leaching, they do not know the effect of eating it either. And they are having a bumper harvest compared to the Russians who are not exporting this year. Lets hope our own harvests have been OK.
  • double_oh_heaven
    'This ain't no technological breakthrough. Oh no, this is the road to Hell'. Paraphrased lyrics by Chris Rea.
  • mortenolesen
    big business and special interest lobbies rule America - fuck everybody else, seems to be their motto. Kill GMO now!
  • corporeal4now
    This is classic. A little knowledge can do a lot of harm in the wrong hands...
  • Found it: http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2010/09/22/1006925107.abstract I'll have to read it again in the morning. But I can't find the controls (how much Bt is in water near non-GM fields, nor how much is in water near organic fields sprayed with Bt). I also can't see that they distinguish between corn Bt and bacterial Bt. And I also don't see if there's any indication that Bt is used as a general mosquito control in the water. And it's also not clear if the presence is likely to have impact at the dose they are finding. I'm sure it will be clearer with coffee in the morning.
  • I can't find this paper yet (why can't newspapers actually give a complete reference?), but I'm not sure why it's a surprise to find plant materials near farms. I'd also be curious to know if they looked for Bt near organic farms that use Bt.
  • stickybud
    Let's hope we can hold this bad science at bay until the GM eco disaster heading for the USA becomes manifest.
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