An article in press in Reproductive Toxicology is the first to highlight the presence of pesticides associated with foods genetically engineered to tolerate various herbicides and insecticides in pregnant and non-pregnant women. The study involved taking the blood samples of 30 pregnant and 30 non-pregnant women in a town in Canada.
Of significance, 3-MPPA (the metabolite of glufosinate) and Cry1Ab toxin were clearly detectable and appeared to cross the placenta to the fetus.
The research found that 3-MPPA was detected in 100% of maternal and umbilical cord blood samples, and in 67% of the non pregnant women’s blood samples while Cry1Ab toxin was present in 93% and 80% of maternal and fetal blood samples, respectively and in 69% of tested blood samples from non-pregnant women.
There are no other studies for comparison with these results, but studies on other mammals have found trace amounts of the Cry1Ab toxin in the gastrointestinal contents of livestock fed on GM corn, raising concerns about this toxin in insect-resistant GM crops – that these toxins may not be effectively eliminated in humans and there may be a high risk of exposure through consumption of contaminated meat.
Given the potential toxicity of these environmental pollutants and the fragility of the fetus, the authors called for more research to be conducted.
– from biosafety-info.net