EPA reached its decision after a year-long review of the crops. According to spokesperson David Deegan, the agency relied in part on advice from scientists asked to examine the matter. The scientific advisory panel, or SAP, reviewed risks and benefits of Bt corn, first planted in 1996. Says Stephen L. Johnson, assistant administrator of EPA's Office of Prevention, Pesticides, and Toxic Substances, "Bt corn has been evaluated thoroughly, ¼ and we are confident that it does not pose risks to human health or to the environment. Consumers should be assured that these corn varieties show no signs of any adverse effects to human health."
By its action EPA also extended the reach of genetically modified corn by okaying a new variety called Herculex, developed and marketed by Pioneer HiBred of Des Moines, Iowa, in collaboration with Indianapolis-based Dow AgroSciences. The agency approved the new seed, which contains a gene called ...
