MSG now sprayed on growing crops !

MSG makes me intolerably itchy and irritable. This is bad news.

 

 

[CTRL] MSG now sprayed on growing crops !

 

 

http://www.truthinlabeling.org/msgsprayed.htm

 

 

MSG: Truth in Labeling Campaign -- http://www.truthinlabeling.org

 

Monosodium Glutamate, MSG, glutamate, glutamic acid --

separating MSG-fact from MSG-fiction and industry propaganda

 

MSG is Back in Baby Food - Sprayed Right on Crops as They Grow

 

In the 1970s, reluctant food processors " voluntarily " took processed

free glutamic acid (MSG) out of baby food. Today it's back, in a

product called AuxiGro WP Plant Metabolic Primer (AuxiGro), being

sprayed on some of the vegetables our children will eat, into the air

our children must breath, and onto the ground from which it can move

into drinking water. Head lettuce, leaf lettuce, tomatoes, potatoes,

and peanuts were among the first crops targeted. There is now no crop

that we know of that has not been approved for such spray by the US

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

 

Use of processed free glutamic acid in plant " growth enhancers " to be

sprayed on all crops has been approved by the EPA. Even California

wine grapes have been approved for spray with AuxiGro. Approval for

use on organic crops has also being requested.

 

What's wrong with using glutamic acid, an amino acid found in

protein, as a spray on crops?

 

1. In protein, amino acids are found in balanced combinations.

Use of free glutamic acid as a spray on crops throws the amino

acid balance out of kilter.

 

2. It's not the glutamic acid found in protein that is being

sprayed on crops, it's a synthetic product. The spray being

used is called AuxiGro. The " free glutamic acid " or so called

" L-glutamic acid " component being used by its manufacturer,

Auxein Corporation, contains L-glutamic acid, an amino acid

found in protein; but it also contains D-glutamic acid,

pyroglutamic acid, and other chemicals referred to as

" contaminants. " The free glutamic acid used in AuxiGro is

processed free glutamic acid. It is manufactured -- in

chemical plants -- where certain selected genetically

engineered bacteria -- feeding on a liquid nutrient medium --

excrete free glutamic acid. In contrast, the free glutamic

acid found in protein, and the free glutamic acid involved in

normal human body function, are unprocessed. free glutamic

acid, and contain no contaminants.

 

3. No one knows what the long term effects of spraying processed

free glutamic acid on crops will be. That there will be

residue left on crops has not been disputed by Auxein

Corporation. But no study of either the amount of that

residue, or the least amount of processed free glutamic acid

needed to cause a reaction in an MSG-sensitive person, has

ever been done. " It should wash off " doesn't mean it will wash

off. " It seems unlikely that such a small amount would cause a

reactions " doesn't mean that a small amount will not cause a

reaction or have long term health effects.

 

Free glutamic acid is known to be toxic to the nervous system.

But the neurotoxic effects that processed free glutamic acid

will have on animals that consume the plants on which it is

sprayed - effects over and above any effects caused by

external glutamic acid residue - have never been evaluated.

Neither are there data on the effects that spraying processed

free glutamic acid will have on drinking water.

 

Consider, also, that children are most at risk from the

effects of processed free glutamic acid. Their undeveloped

blood-brain barriers leave them most at risk from exposure to

processed free glutamic acid. It has been repeatedly

demonstrated that infant animals fed processed free glutamic

acid when young, develop neuroendocrine problems such as gross

obesity, stunted growth, and reproductive disorders later in

life, and that they also develop learning disabilities. Auxein

Corporation did not address that particular safety issue in

its application to the EPA.

 

4. No one knows how little glutamic acid is needed to kill a

single brain cell or to trigger an adverse reaction.

 

5. Free glutamic acid is a neurotransmitter. It causes nerves to

fire, carrying nerve impulses throughout the nervous system.

 

6. Free glutamic acid is a neurotoxin. Under certain

circumstances, free glutamic acid will cause nerves to fire

repeatedly, until they die.

 

7. Processed free glutamic acid kills brain cells. The free

glutamic acid ingested by laboratory animals that caused brain

lesions and neuroendocrine disorders was very often given in

the form of the food ingredient " monosodium glutamate. "

" Monosodium glutamate " is the name of a particular food

additive. Processed free glutamic acid is the reactive

component in " monosodium glutamate, " just as processed free

glutamic acid is a reactive component in AuxiGro.

 

The glutamate industry research done in the 1970s that was

submitted to the EPA by the Auxein Corporation, that pretended

to find that processed free glutamic acid is " safe, " was later

refuted by independent scientists. Indeed, at the present

time, neuroscientists attempting to develop drugs to block the

toxic effects of free glutamic acid are using processed free

glutamic acid to selectively kill certain kinds of brain cells.

 

8. Processed free glutamic acid causes neuroendocrine disorders

in maturing animals that ingest processed free glutamic acid

early in life.

 

9. Processed free glutamic acid causes learning disorders in

maturing animals that ingest processed free glutamic acid

early in life.

 

10. Processed free glutamic acid crosses the placental barrier and

causes learning disabilities in animal offspring of dams that

ingest it.

 

11. Processed free glutamic acid has access to the brain through

the blood-brain barrier, which is not impervious to the

unregulated flow of processed free glutamic acid. The

blood-brain barrier is immature at birth and continues to

develop up to puberty. In certain areas called the

circumventricular organs, the blood barrier is never

impervious to the unregulated flow of free glutamic acid. In

addition, the blood-brain barrier is easily damaged by such

events as high fever, a blow to the head, drug use, stroke,

ingestion of processed free glutamic acid, and the normal

process of aging.

 

12. The National Institutes of Health recognize glutamic acid as

being associated with addiction, stroke, epilepsy,

degenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease,

Parkinson's disease, and ALS, brain trauma, neuropathic pain,

schizophrenia, anxiety, and depression.

 

13. For years, free glutamic acid has been produced and used in

food additives with names such as monosodium glutamate, sodium

caseinate, and hydrolyzed soy protein. In some people, the

processed free glutamic acid in food additives causes adverse

reactions that include migraine headache, asthma, arrhythmia,

tachycardia, nausea and vomiting, depression, and

disorientation. The processed free glutamic acid in

prescription and non-prescription drugs, food supplements, and

cosmetics also causes adverse reactions.

 

There are badly flawed industry-sponsored studies that have

pretended to find that processed free glutamic acid does not

cause adverse reactions. Inappropriate procedures used by the

glutamate industry have included limiting subjects to people

virtually guaranteed not to be sensitive to processed free

glutamic acid, and/or using processed free glutamic acid or

other similarly reactive substances in placebos as well as in

test material. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has

based its claim that processed free glutamic acid causes only

mild and transitory reactions on those badly flawed

industry-sponsored studies.

 

14. According to the EPA, the food additive called " monosodium

glutamate " causes adverse reactions.

 

15. According to the FDA, the food additive " monosodium glutamate "

contains processed free glutamic acid.

 

16. According to the FDA, consumers refer to all free glutamic

acid as " MSG. "

 

17. In reviewing the application of Auxein Corporation for use of

processed free glutamic acid in a spray to be applied to crops

as they grow, the EPA failed to conform to the requirements of

the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, which require, in

part, that the EPA review any proposed action for validity,

completeness, reliability, and relationship to human risk. The

EPA also ignored Executive Order 13045 which requires

government agencies to consider available information

concerning the variability of the sensitivities of major

identifiable subgroups of consumers, including infants and

children. For example, Auxein Corporation sent the EPA 14

industry-sponsored toxicological studies from the literature,

all done in the 1970's, but failed to mention hundreds of

studies in the literature that refuted those 14 studies. For

example, although processed free glutamic acid causes brain

lesions and neuroendocrine disorders in infant animals, this

special hazard faced by infants was ignored by Auxein

Corporation. It would appear that Auxein Corporation

restricted its consideration of " available information " to

information made available by the glutamate industry; and the

EPA, even after having been sent abstracts from other

" available information, " has not challenged the Auxein

Corporation applications. A more complete discussion of the

shortcomings of the EPA approvals granted to Auxein

Corporation has been submitted to the EPA.

 

18. Questions about the safety of spraying processed free glutamic

acid on plants and into the environment have been raised by

the Truth in Labeling Campaign and by individual consumers.

The EPA has refused to address those concerns. The EPA, and,

in particular, EPA spokesperson Dr. Janet Andersen, has failed

to respond to allegations that in approving the spraying of

processed free glutamic acid, the EPA failed to consider the

reliability, validity, and completeness of the Auxein

Corporation application or comply with Executive Order 13045

entitled Protection of Children from Environmental Health

Risks and Safety Risks, except to say that the EPA had

complied with executive order 13045. Moreover, while

responding to letters that asked direct questions of the EPA,

Andersen failed to respond to most, if not all, of the direct

questions contained in those letters.

 

 

How, then, does Andersen excuse the fact that the EPA approved

processed free glutamic acid for use in an EPA approved spray? First,

says Andersen, the free glutamic acid used in the spray is naturally

occurring, and it's 99.3 per cent pure pharmaceutical grade

L-glutamic acid. But it would seem that in admitting that the free

glutamic acid in AuxiGro is not 100 per cent pure L-glutamic acid,

and that it is pharmaceutical grade, Andersen has contradicted

herself, and actually made the point that 1) if the free glutamic

acid used in AuxiGro were truly natural, it wouldn't be

" pharmaceutical grade; " and 2) if the free glutamic acid used in

AuxiGro were truly natural it would be 100 per cent, not 99.3 per

cent pure L-glutamic acid.

 

Andersen says something else very interesting. She says that the EPA

is well aware of the fact that MSG causes adverse reactions. However,

when Andersen uses the term " MSG " she is referring to the one food

ingredient called " monosodium glutamate, " and not to the free

glutamic acid in " monosodium glutamate " that causes adverse reactions.

 

What Andersen has done is very clever. What she has said makes no

sense at all. No one has ever claimed that the processed free

glutamic acid in AuxiGro comes out of a box labeled " monosodium

glutamate. " So for her to say it doesn't, is meaningless. On the

other hand, the claim has been made that the free glutamic acid in

AuxiGro will cause the same brain lesions, neuroendocrine disorders,

adverse reactions and other diverse disease conditions that are

caused by the free glutamic acid in " monosodium glutamate " and the

other food additives that contain processed free glutamic acid. That

claim is true, but Andersen does not address it. How do you refute

someone who ignores legitimate questions and spews out irrelevant

statements as though they pertained to your legitimate questions? You

don't. The EPA defense of its approval of use of processed free

glutamic acid in plant " growth enhancers " and its registration of

AuxiGro has two parts to it: 1) ignoring those who question EPA

actions, and 2) making the irrelevant statement that AuxiGro does not

contain MSG (monosodium glutamate).

 

Andersen has never addressed the criticism that approvals given to

allow the use of free glutamic acid and the product AuxiGro by the

EPA were inappropriate. The EPA won't discuss it. The media won't

mention it. And uninformed or irresponsible farmers may use the

product.

 

The EPA, which approved the used of processed free glutamic acid in

plant " growth enhancers, " made a grievous error. But instead of

recognizing and remedying that error once it was pointed out to them,

the EPA began a cover-up. That cover-up included use of ambiguous

words and phrases, half-truths, and downright lies told to consumers.

The cover-up continued (and continues still) with a variation of

those ambiguous words and phrases, half-truths, and downright lies

told to legislators who inquire about spraying MSG into the

environment. For detail, see EPA lies to the legislature

 

AuxiGro, the first plant " growth enhancer " to hit the market, has

been approved for spraying on every crop we know of. Even before

consumers had an inkling that crops were being sprayed, the Truth in

Labeling Campaign received reports that MSG-sensitive consumers had

gotten sick from head lettuce and potatoes.

 

Federal Register notices chronicling the application and approval of

processed free glutamic acid are available on the Web via GPO Access,

the Federal Register, through:

http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/aces/aces140.html Application was

made to the EPA in 1997 and testing of the product was approved in

that year, also. Glutamic acid was granted an exemption from

establishment of a tolerance limit in January, 1998. AuxiGro was also

approved for use on a number of crops in January, 1998, and approved

for use on other crops later, but no announcement was made in the

Federal Register.

 

Sales literature promoting AuxiGro will be found at

http://www.auxein.com While Federal Register notices included the

fact that there is processed free glutamic acid (MSG) in AuxiGro, the

sales literature from Auxein Corporation did not mention the fact

that their product contains free glutamic acid until the Truth in

Labeling Campaign began to broadcast that information. Now (November,

1999), Auxein has added deceptive, misleading, and untrue statements

in an elaboration of its Product Page, wherein they essentially make

the untrue assertion that the glutamic acid used in AuxiGro is

chemically and biologically identical to that found in plants and

animals.

 

If you think you might be reacting to AuxiGro sprayed on crops,

contact Auxein Corporation and the EPA at the addresses that follow.

The Truth in Labeling Campaign would appreciate receiving copies of

your letters.

 

John L. Mclntyre, Ph.D.

President & CEO

Auxein Corporation

3125 Sovereign Drive, Ste. B

Lansing, MI 48911-4240

Phone: (888) 828-9346

Fax: (517) 882-7521

E-Mail: sales

(From time to time, their web page, http://www.auxein.com

can be accessed by password only.)

 

Carol Browner

Administrator

Environmental Protection Agency

401 M. Street SW

Room 1200 West Tower

Washington, DC 20460

202/307-7400

www.epa.gov

 

It would be much appreciated if you would copy and distribute this

material, including our Web address for those who might be interested.

 

 

 

Truth in Labeling Campaign, P.O. Box 2532, Darien, IL 60561

 

adandjack 858/481-9333 http://www.truthinlabeling.org