CONTROVERSIES IN BIOTECHNOLOGY

(BASIC BIOTECHNOLOGY)

JARYLL VHASTI P. LAGUMBAY

BSA 3
Monarch butterfly controversy

The monarch butterfly is one of the most recognizable and well-studied butterflies on the
planet. Its orange wings are laced with black lines and bordered with white dots. Famous for
their seasonal migration, millions of monarchs migrate from the United States and Canada south
to California and Mexico for the winter (National Geographic). Little did everyone know, a
controversy would spark involving these adorable little creatures.

Let us define first what a Bt or genetically modified corn is. According to Bessin (2019),
Bt-corn is a type of genetically modified organism, termed GMO. Bacillus thuringiensis, or
simply Bt, is a naturally occurring soil bacterium that, when sprayed on plants, is toxic to certain
pest insects. The Bt corn contains a gene from the bacterium that allows a corn plant to resist
insect pest known as the European corn borer.

The controversy

In the summer of 1999, Cornell entomologists sparked a worldwide controversy with the
publication of a short paper in the scientific journal Nature reporting laboratory findings that
monarch butterfly larvae died after eating milkweed plants dusted with pollen from genetically
modified (GM) corn. That paper generated intense national and international news coverage
transforming the monarch butterfly overnight into a dramatic symbol of what environmentalists
and some scientists saw as the dangers of agricultural biotechnology (Pew Initiativeon Food and
Biotechnology).

In their article, “Transgenic Pollen Harms Monarch Larvae,” the Cornell authors asked:
Could windblown corn pollen accumulate on plants that grow extensively in and adjacent to
cornfields and, like conventional insecticides, inadvertently kill native insects that are not pests?
To test this question, they chose the monarch as their nontarget species. Female monarchs lay
eggs on wild milkweed plants, the only plants that their caterpillars can eat. In their experiment,
conducted in the laboratory, the authors dusted pollens gathered from one of the Bt corn strains
(N4640-Bt corn a commercial variety containing a gene for an insecticidal Bacillus
thuringiensis) onto the leaves of the common milkweed. They established that caterpillars that
fed on the dusted leaves ate less, grew more slowly, and suffered higher mortality than
caterpillars reared on milkweed leaves dusted with pollen from a non-Bt corn strain. The
scientists were circumspect about their results and stated clearly that more research was needed
to determine the impact of the toxic pollen on monarchs in the natural environment (Brower).

Although only a note and not a full scientific investigation, they garnered a tremendous
amount of media coverage and gave anti-biotech advocates poster species for their cause. In the
following year the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of the United States, biotech
companies, and university researchers studied the potential impact of Bt corn pollen on the
monarch butterfly and related species. John Obrycki and Laura Jesse of Iowa State University
concluded that Bt pollen can cause mortality for the first instar monarch larvae. These researches
caught the attention of the public.

References:

Bessin, R. 2019. Bt-Corn: What It Is and How It Works. Retrieved from

https://entomology.ca.uky.edu/ef130

Brower, L. The Monarch and the Bt Corn Controversy. Retrieved from

https://orionmagazine.org/article/canary-in-the-cornfield/

Environmental Protection Agency. 2002. EPA's Regulation of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) Crops.
Retrieved from
https://archive.epa.gov/pesticides/biopesticides/web/html/regofbtcrops.html

Hodgson, J. 1999. Monarch Bt-corn paper questioned. Retrieved from

https://www.nature.com/articles/nbt0799_627

National Geographic. Monarch butterfly. Retrieved from

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/invertebrates/facts/monarch-butterfly

Obrycki, J. J. and Jesse, L. C. H. 2003. Effects of transgenic Bacillus thuringiensis corn pollen.
Retrieved from https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/leopold_grantreports/208
Starlink Corn Controversy

Another issue raised with the introduction of Bt products came from StarLink, which is
the trade name for corn genetically modified to produce a protein, Cry9C. Cry9C acts as a
pesticide, protecting the plant from pests such as the European Corn Borer. Sold by Aventis
CropSciences, StarLink corn was registered for use in animal feed only. EPA did not register the
product for human consumption due to unresolved questions concerning StarLink's potential
allergenicity. In September 2000, some nongovernmental organizations tested taco shells and
found traces of StarLink corn DNA. Confirmed by the FDA, this detection of StarLink caused a
number of food companies to implement a voluntary recall of taco shells and other products
manufactured with yellow corn meal (EPA, 2002).

The FDA received approximately 34 reports of adverse reaction to corn products which
may contain StarLink. Of the 34 reports, 20 were very unlikely a result of an allergenic reaction.
The U.S. Center investigated 7 people who experienced symptoms that are consistent with an
allergenic reaction. The people showed no reaction to the Cry9C protein. This does not mean
people could not develop an allergic reaction in the future. Aventis submitted a new evaluation
of the corn to EPA and requested a temporary approval for human consumption. The new
information demonstrated the consumption of corn based foods that contain StarLink would
expose consumers to Cry9C many times smaller than needed to cause sensitivity. Subsequently,
Aventis voluntarily withdrew registration for StarLink corn. It will no longer be grown. As a
result of this episode, the Aventis Company and others in the biotechnology industry will seek
approvals for both human and animal consumption before marketing genetically enhanced seeds
(CCR, 2017).

References:

Center for Consumer Research. 2017. StarLink Corn: What Happened. Retrieved from
https://ccr.ucdavis.edu/biotechnology/starlink-corn-what-happened

Environmental Protection Agency. 2002. EPA's Regulation of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) Crops.
Retrieved from
https://archive.epa.gov/pesticides/biopesticides/web/html/regofbtcrops.html
Poisonous Potato Controversy
The Mexican Corn Gene Escape Controversy