Een project waarbij genetisch gemanipuleerde doperwten worden ontwikkeld die resistent zijn tegen de erwtenkever, is stopgezet nadat bij een test op muizen bleek dat deze er schade van ondervinden.
In a blow to Australia’s genetically modified food industry, peas grown and stored in South Australia have caused lung inflammation when tested on mice. The alarming finding means the 12 tonnes of field peas, double-bagged in plastic and sealed in plastic containers, must be burned or buried under supervision from the Office of the Gene Technology Regulator.
The peas were produced by the CSIRO near Naracoorte but have not been grown there since 2002. Scientists had introduced a gene from beans to make the peas resistant to weevils, which can cause yield losses of up to 30 per cent. The CSIRO has revealed the study was stopped after mild inflammation of lung tissue was observed in mice fed on the peas.
Zie o.a:
NewScientist, 21-11-2005: GM pea causes allergic damage in mice