Comment Record |
Commentor |
Miss Blair Brown |
Date/Time |
2003-02-07 18:14:41 |
Organization |
Ecopledge |
Category |
Individual |
Comments for FDA General |
Questions |
1. General Comments
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To whom it may concern:
I am writing to comment on DOCKET NO. O2D-0324.
Experts agree that contamination of food crops with biopharm traits
is inevitable, especially since cross-pollinating corn is the favorite
plant and as acreage increases from small pilot trials to large
commercial plantings. Look at the ProdiGene incidents in NE and IA.
Some of the compounds presently being grown in corn have known human
health effects, but have not been tested. Many more are kept secret
by government and industry as confidential business information.
Some companies want to extract the biopharmaceutical, then put the
crop residue into the food and feed chain. So if extraction isn't
complete, we're talking drug residues in the food supply.
Farmers will suffer as contamination episodes ruin export markets,
and the use of pesticides on biopharm plants raises the very real
risk of
pesticide residues in drugs.
More stringent regulation is not the answer -- banning biopharming,
at least in food crops and in the open air -- is. There are many
contained, controlled, proven as well as newer alternatives to open-
air biopharming for any drugs that are really needed.
Yours truly,
Blair Brown
869 18th St
Boulder, CO 80302
Blair.C.Brown@colorado.edu
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