Deadly Epidemic and the Attempt to Hide its Link to Genetic Engineering (GE)

[Guest guest]

GM WAT.CH daily

http://www.gmwatch.org

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You might also want to check out:

THE THALIDOMIDE OF GENETIC 'ENGINEERING'

L R B Mann, D Straton & W E Crist

http://www.connectotel.com/gmfood/trypto.html

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A Deadly Epidemic and the Attempt to Hide its Link to Genetic

Engineering

Spilling the Beans, August 2005

Institute of Responsible Technology

 

introduction

 

In my book Seeds of Deception, I bring out new information about the

genetically engineered food supplement L-tryptophan, which was

responsible for a deadly epidemic in the United States in the 1980s.

Much of the

research for the chapter came from the work of investigator William

Crist. The book cited Crist's report, which was expected to have been

posted on a website well in advance of my book's publication.

Unfortunately, Crist was unable to update his report at that time. It

is now

available at

http://www.seedsofdeception.com/Public/L-tryptophan/index.cfm and

provides important new evidence, including ways in which the U.S.

government apparently hid information in order to protect the biotech

industry.

.......

A Deadly Epidemic and the Attempt to Hide its Link to Genetic

Engineering

By Jeffrey M. Smith

Author of the international bestseller Seeds of Deception

 

In October, 1989, 44-year old Kathy Lorio arrived in the medical office

of Dr. Phil Hertzman in Los Alamos, New Mexico. Lorio, who had been

healthy and active, was suddenly struck with severe pain and a host of

debilitating symptoms. Blood tests revealed that her eosinophil count had

skyrocketed. The normal concentration of this white blood cell is about

10 per CC. Allergies or asthma can make it rise to 500. Lorio's was

over 10,000.

 

In a coincidence that was destined to save lives, Hertzman referred her

to Santa Fe rheumatologist James Mayer, who happened to have recently

seen another patient, Bonnie Bishop, with similar symptoms. Bishop was

in severe pain, her arms and legs were filled with fluid, she had

trouble breathing, and her muscles were so weak she couldn't even sit up.

" She slumped like a rag doll. " [1] And her eosinophil count was extremely

high.

 

Patient histories revealed that both Bishop and Lorio were taking the

food supplement L-tryptophan. Although it was the only supplement common

to both patients, the doctors were hesitant to blame L-tryptophan for

the disease. It is an essential amino acid, naturally found in turkey

and milk, and in supplement form had been consumed safely for years as a

treatment for stress, insomnia and depression

 

Hertzman checked the literature on eosinophils. One author's name kept

coming up - Dr. Gerald Gleich of the Mayo Clinic. Hertzman gave him a

call. Gleich told him that two cases weren't enough to draw a conclusion

about L-tryptophan. Better wait. They didn't wait long. That same day a

third case, also linked to L-tryptophan, was reported in New Mexico.

Gleich called the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta and told

them about the cluster of patients in New Mexico and the possible link to

L-tryptophan.

 

Within two weeks, three other patients checked into the Mayo Clinic

with serious symptoms - one needed a respirator to breathe. All had taken

L-tryptophan and they were from different parts of the country. Gleich

called the CDC again. He told them it's not limited to New Mexico; it's

out and it's deadly. An L-tryptophan alert went nationwide.

 

Articles began circulating about the mysterious disease. The

Albuquerque Journal ran a series about it that eventually won the

Pulitzer Prize.

The New York Times covered it. As more articles appeared, the phone

calls started coming in - first dozens, then hundreds, then thousands:

individuals with incurable symptoms, doctors with incurable patients, and

stories of horrific symptoms. Some had coughs, rashes, physical

weakness, pneumonia, breathing difficulties, hardening of the skin, mouth

ulcers, nausea, shortness of breath, muscle spasms, visual problems, hair

loss, difficulty with concentration or memory, and paralysis. Not

everyone had all the symptoms, but everyone seemed to be in pain -

greater

pain than doctors had seen before. The disease was named eosinophilia

myalgia syndrome, or EMS - eosinophilia because of the high cell count,

myalgia because of the muscle pain. In all, about 5,000 - 10,000 people

got sick; some are permanently disabled. About 100 people died.

 

Disease Traced to Genetic Modification

 

The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reported on July

11, 1990 that people only got EMS from pills made by Showa Denko, one

of the six manufacturers whose L-tryptophan was imported into the U.S.

from Japan. Showa Denko's pills had several unique contaminants that

were likely to be responsible for the epidemic. Moreover, the

manufacturer

was genetically engineering bacteria to produce the L-tryptophan more

economically. Genes had been inserted into bacteria's DNA in order to

produce high concentrations of several enzymes used in its production.

 

Epidemiologist Michael Osterholm, who helped track the source of the

epidemic, said in a Newsday article on August 14, " This obviously leads

to that whole debate about genetic engineering. " Two weeks later, FDA

spokesperson Sam Page was quoted in Science magazine " blasting " Osterholm

for raising the issue of genetic engineering, " especially given the

impact on the industry. " [2]

 

Diverting Blame

 

There are numerous ways in which genetically engineered bacteria might

lead to unpredicted contaminants. For example:

 

The process of inserting genes can create significant changes in the

expression of natural genes throughout the DNA, causing changes in

proteins (including enzymes) and their interactions.

 

Genetic engineering can cause mutations and deletions in the DNA,

altering its natural functioning and changing what is produced.

 

The bacteria were engineered to produce ingredients in larger

concentrations than were normally part of the process to create

L-tryptophan.

These higher concentrations might interact in unpredictable ways to

create new compounds.

 

The L-tryptophan is toxic to the bacteria that create it. As a means of

self-preservation, the bacteria might have modified the L-tryptophan,

itself, or its environment.

 

The press reported that Showa Denko had introduced a GM strain of

bacteria at Christmas time in 1988. Soon after, they also reduced the

amount

of carbon in the filter of the manufacturing process from 20 kilos to

10. This change in the filter was just what the young and vulnerable

biotech industry needed to protect its reputation. The alternative story

diverted the blame away from genetic engineering. This explanation

circulated around the world. " The change in the filter was responsible

for

the epidemic. " Or more simply put, " It was bad manufacturing - not

genetic engineering. "

 

In 1996, writer William Crist began what would become an eight-year

investigation into the cause of the EMS epidemic. " He contacted the FDA's

biotechnology coordinator, James Maryanski, who told him " We can not

rule [genetic engineering] out. . . . However, we are aware of close to

two dozen cases of L-tryptophan-linked EMS that occurred before Showa

Denko began using their engineered strain. So, there would have to be a

cause other than just the mere engineering of the strains. Now, I can't

say that definitively because we don't have a lot of information on

these earlier cases. " Maryanski asserted that " either L-tryptophan

itself,

or L-tryptophan in combination with something that was the result of

the purification process, was probably the more likely cause. " [3]

 

Crist decided to track down the EMS cases that Maryanski described -

those caused by L-tryptophan produced before the genetically altered

bacterium was introduced in December 1988. He quickly discovered CDC

studies that identified about 100 pre-epidemic cases, not two dozen. And

since reported cases of EMS were far less than actual cases, the true

number, using the CDC's estimated ratio for unreported incidents, was

in the

hundreds - all apparently from individuals who had ingested Showa

Denko's pills manufactured before December 1988. This fact clearly

dismantled the change-in-the-filter theory as the cause of the

disease. But it

didn't explain how the contaminants got into Showa Denko's L-tryptophan.

 

Crist spoke with several attorneys who represented EMS victims. They

had gathered significant evidence for their lawsuits, which were

eventually settled with Showa Denko for about $2 billion. In one

company memo

obtained by an attorney, Crist discovered a significant fact. The

bacterium introduced in December 1988 was called Strain 5. The preceding

three strains, introduced starting on October 22, 1984, were *all*

genetically modified. This was a revelation. It countered the FDA's

argument

that illnesses " that occurred before Showa Denko began using their

engineered strain " meant that " there would have to be a cause other than

[genetic engineering] " . *But they were all engineered!*

 

As he looked at the memo, Crist wondered why the FDA didn't know about

the earlier GM strains. They had access to a lot more information he

did. Then his eyes rose to the top of the document to see a fax imprint:

FDA September 17, 1990. It had been faxed by the FDA! They knew back in

1990 that the earlier strains were modified, but in 1996, the FDA's

biotech coordinator James Maryanski was still claiming ignorance.

 

An even greater omission occurred when Douglas Archer, deputy director

of the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, testified

before Congress in July 1991 about the epidemic. Not only did he *not*

discuss the earlier bacterial strains, he never even mentioned genetic

engineering. Instead, he blamed the disease on " the dangers inherent in

the various health fraud schemes that are being perpetrated upon

segments of the American public. " The FDA used this logic to take all

L-tryptophan, GM or not, off the market.

 

According to a 2000 article in the Rutgers Law Journal, " Political

pressures have played a role in the FDA's decision to ban L-tryptophan as

well as its desire to increase its regulatory power over dietary

supplements. " [4] In its FDA Dietary Supplement Task Force report on

June 15,

1993, it states, " The Task Force considered various issues in its

deliberations, including ... what steps are necessary to ensure that the

existence of dietary supplements on the market does not act as a

disincentive to drug development. " According to the Rutgers article,

" This is a

particularly disturbing issue, " as it shows that developing FDA

guidelines " has far more to do with eliminating competition in the

pharmaceutical industry than preserving the public health. " In the

case of

L-tryptophan, the FDA simultaneously protected prescription drugs for

stress,

insomnia and depression, as well as the entire biotech industry. In

retrospect, when FDA's Sam Page told Science that it was better not to

discuss genetic engineering, " especially given the impact on the

industry, "

it turns out he was describing the motivation and strategy that would

guide the agency for years.

 

Sobering Lessons Unheeded

 

Many studies have verified that the process of genetic engineering can

produce unpredicted toxins or allergens. Nevertheless, the FDA does not

require any additional safety testing for GM products, whether they are

food crops or supplements. Thus, if that same deadly L-tryptophan were

first introduced today, it would get on the market.

 

The EMS epidemic took years to identify and was almost missed. The only

reason it was discovered was because the disease had three concurrent

characteristics: it was rare, acute, and came on quickly. What would

happen if all three characteristics had not been in place? What if it

took

20 years for onset or only impacted the next generation? What if it

produced only mild symptoms like frequent colds? What if it created

serious diseases that were common, like cancer, heart-disease, obesity or

diabetes? The epidemic might remain undiscovered for decades.

 

What then of the thousands of products currently being fed to US

citizens that contain ingredients from genetic modification? Might

they be

creating problems that don't have all three characteristics? Are they

contributing to the doubling of food-related illnesses in the United

States between 1994 and 2001, corresponding to the time when many of

these

products were introduced? We don't know, because no one is looking. And

even if we were, derivatives from the four major GM crops, soy, corn,

cottonseed, and canola, are found in the majority of processed foods.

Unlike L-tryptophan, if common food ingredients were creating health

problems, identifying the source might be impossible.

 

In spite of these facts, and ignoring the thousands of victims of GM

L-tryptophan, U.S. regulators continue to make the baseless statement

that " millions of people have been eating genetically engineered products

for years and no one has gotten hurt. "

 

Dissatisfied with the way that the FDA is protecting their health, more

and more people have chosen to protect themselves by avoiding GM foods

altogether. Here too, the FDA stands in the way. More than 90 percent

of Americans want GM foods labeled. Most industrialized nations require

labeling. But the FDA has an official mandate to promote biotechnology.

They know that more than half of those surveyed say they would avoid GM

foods if they were labeled. To protect industry profits, the FDA

ignores the desires of nine out of ten Americans.

 

There is no indication that another EMS epidemic will emerge from

another GM food or supplement. But with obesity, diabetes, migraines,

allergies, and many other ailments skyrocketing in the U.S., there is no

guarantee that another GM-related epidemic is not already upon us.

 

To learn more about the potential dangers of GM foods, to find out how

to shop GM-free, and to read the excellent report by William Crist,

visit http://www.seedsofdeception.com/Public/L-tryptophan/index.cfm

 

Spilling the Beans</em> is a monthly column available at

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References

 

[1] Barbara Deane, 'Anatomy of an Epidemic,' Reader's Digest, April

1991

[2] P. Raphals, 'Does medical mystery threaten biotech?' Science, vol.

249, no. 619, 1990

[3] William E. Crist, The Toxic L-Tryptophan Epidemic, see

http://www.seedsofdeception.com/Public/L-tryptophan/index.cfm

[4] Joshua H. Beisler, L-tryptophan Section from " Dietary Supplements

and Their Discontents: FDA Regulation and the Dietary Supplement Health

and Education Act of 1994, Rutgers Law Journal, Winter 2000, see

http://www.seedsofdeception.com/utility/showArticle/?objectID=263

 

Copyright 2005 by Jeffrey M. Smith. Permission is granted to reproduce

this in whole or in part.