A study led by University of Caen professor Gilles-Eric Séralini involving both Monsanto's genetically modified NK603 variety of maize as well as its herbicide known as Roundup, has demonstrated that both the GMO corn and the herbicide create significant, detrimental effects on mammalian health. Female rats that have consumed these products often develop tumors in their mammary glands, and both males and females frequently suffer from liver cell death and hormonal disturbances. Higher mortality rates, seen in both males and females, are especially prevalent among the female rats, which by the end of the two year study, were two to three times more likely to die than their female control group. The study, which appeared in the peer reviewed journal Food and Chemical Toxicology, was criticized almost immediately by a number of industry insiders. In a rebuttal of the critics, Serlani addressed the issues raised by those hostile to his study, and revealed that previous, biotech friendly studies only lasted 90 days, giving no significant time for chronic pathologies to develop. Additionally, Serlani points to the fact that glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, has been tested in isolation in animal populations, rather than in the complete Roundup formulary, which contains toxic stabilizers and allows for more complete penetration into living tissue. In attempting to discredit his study, critics have only further shed light on the flawed testing which has allowed these harmful products to enter, and in some cases, dominate, the food supply.
