Comments on 

French government scientists have called for a ban on the insecticide
Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) after finding that inhaled spores cause lung
inflammation, internal bleeding and death in laboratory mice.

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I appreciate your concern over Bt and share your concern and efforts to control and regulate pesticides in general. I have been working with Californians for Pesticide Reform since its beginnings and have been a strong advocate for the elimination of many chemical pesticides from the current arsenal of products killing people in our state and around the globe.

I am concerned however that the materials you are propagating regarding Bt have a series of inconsistencies and and are very alarmist, perhaps falling into the hands of anti biocontol industry scientists. I think that the findings of the french scientists are of great concern, but that you have extrapolated from Bt H34 to cover all BtKs and Btis is probably irresponsible. We know that there are significant differences between these bacteria and that some of the special characteristics of Bt are that is does not grow in acidic conditions or at temperatures above 30 degrees C. Anthrax and Ceres do. I think that there may be significant contamination or mutation of Bt strains that is not being well monitored and that may indeed be cause for alarm, but currently Bt is being used as an alternative to hundreds of organophosphates, carbamates, and organochlorines that at this point are much more dangerous especially in their cumulative and long term environmental health impacts.

Resistance to Bt is documented but only under very specific and limited condition or under laboratory conditions where scientists were trying to produce it. It is much harder to develop resistance to than most chemical pesticides. The use of Bt genes in transgenic crops is truly a crap shoot- we will not know the long term impacts of this for perhaps generations, and it clearly is not good for farmers or the food system, however the use of the gene code producing the Bt toxin (which the french scientists found not to be the cause of the negative reaction- as it is evolved to be a very site specific protein acting on the porosity of larval insect digestive tracts) has little or nothing to do with the health problems you are discussing.

Finally by spores are never applied in a powder form. In fact most bt products have isolated crystals, or dead bt bacteria dissolved in solution that when applied are at much lower concentrations than used for the laboratory tests.

I agree that this initial finding warrants much more research, but immediately eliminating Bt from the market - especially the california market at this time I think is unwarranted and irresponsible.

Sincerely
 Martin Bourque, M.A.
Sustainable Agriculture Program Director
Institute for Food and Development Policy (Food First)
martinazo@foodfirst.org
tel: 510.654.4400  fax: 510.654.4551
www.foodfirst.org  
398 60th Street, Oakland, CA 94618 USA

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