Fungal Toxins and Carinogens, American Council on Science and Health

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March

31, 2005

Let's Talk About Real Carcinogens, Like This Fungus

By _Ruth Kava, Ph.D., R.D._

(http://www.acsh.org/about/staffID.10/staff_detail.asp)

There's a lot of media coverage of _this carcinogen and that_

(http://www.acsh.org/publications/pubID.990/pub_detail.asp) . Almost

exclusively, however,

the reports deal with synthetic chemicals that supposedly present _intolerable

risks to the most vulnerable populations -- infants and children_

(http://www.acsh.org/publications/pubID.193/pub_detail.asp) . But in many cases,

if not

most, the evidence of risk is not substantiated by sound science. There are,

however, naturally-occurring chemicals that are known to be carcinogenic.

One might say, " Well, if they occur naturally, there's nothing to be done

about them. " But that's not true -- one case in point is that of fumonisins,

chemicals that are toxic and carcinogenic to animals and humans, produced by

_fungi that grow on corn_ (http://mold-help.org/content/view/449/) .

And what can be done is to grow gene-spliced corn that lessens the

possibility that the fungi can attack the corn.

In an article on the website of _Truth about Trade_

(http://www.truthabouttrade.org/article.asp?id=2863) , Dr. Bruce Chassy and Dr.

Drew Kershen explain

how this can be done. When corn is modified by inclusion of a gene from the

bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), it is less likely to be attacked by

insects. Since points of insect infestations are prime sites for fungal

invasion, decreasing insect attacks also lessen fungus growth. Not only would

this

decrease the risk of cancer, it would also diminish the risk of some birth

defects, such as neural tube abnormalities, in babies born to women who eat

unprocessed corn. Dr.s Chassy and Kershen explain the connections in a very

clear

essay -- it's worth reading.

So when you read that the only people who are helped by agricultural genetic

engineering are big companies and farmers, think about the consumers of corn

and their babies. We now have the ability to help protect them from real --

and totally natural -- toxins and carcinogens.

Ruth Kava, Ph.D., R.D., is Director of Nutrition at the American Council on

Science and Health.