Science journal retracts anti-GMO paper

GENETICALLY MODIFIED Activists in hazmat (hazardous material) suits from the environmentalist group Greenpeace uproot genetically engineered Bt eggplant, locally known as ‘‘talong,” from a field trial site in Bay Laguna province, in this 2011 photo. ARNOLD ALMACEN

MANILA, Philippines—An international publication recently retracted an article written by a French anti-biotechnology professor who alleged that the presence of long-term toxicity in genetically modified corn varieties caused tumors among laboratory mice.

The retracted material was extensively quoted in the Philippine Court of Appeals’ (CA) decision denying a motion for reconsideration filed by Filipino scientists.

The Filipino scientists, who were stopped by the CA from continuing field trials for the genetically modified eggplant variety Bt Talong, are entangled in a legal battle with European activist group Greenpeace, which sought the court order.

In a statement released to international media, the journal “Food and Chemical Toxicity” (FCT) said the findings alleged by anti-biotechnology activist Gilles Eric Seralini was “inconclusive.”

“This retraction comes after a thorough and time-consuming analysis of the published article and the data it reports, along with an investigation into the peer-review behind the article,” the FCT editor-in-chief was quoted as saying.

In retracting the article, the FCT effectively disavowed the allegations contained in the Seralini paper. The publication said that after the Seralini article appeared in the journal, it had received numerous letters from the international scientific community questioning the validity of the findings and the number of animals used in the study.

In the same statement, the FCT said some of the letters from the community alleged there had been fraud in the Seralini research. In view of the allegations, the publication said it had reviewed the raw data provided by Seralini in his paper. According to the FCT, “a more in-depth look at the raw data revealed that no definitive conclusions can be reached.”

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