Scientists concerned about spread of GMOs in Russia

January 9, 2004

RBC, 11.12.2003, Moscow 19:07:32.A group of Russian scientists is going to

request President Putin to impose a temporary moratorium on genetically modified

organisms (GMOs), Alexander Baranov, a research officer of the Institute of

Development Biology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, announced at a press

conference today. According to him, the measure is necessary until all possible

risks and effects of GMOs on the environment and people's health are fully

researched. The scientist mentioned that according to the results of

investigations conducted by scientist in Sweden and the USA, 8 percent of people

in Sweden and 70 percent of people in the USA proved to be allergic to GMOs.

In Russia the number of people with marked symptoms of allergy increased

by three times over the past three years. It is possible that this development

was caused by genetically modified food and organisms that are widely traded

across Russia, Baranov indicated.

According to Baranov, the Grain Union of Russia has recently submitted to

the government a bill that envisages legalization of GMOs in Russia. It is

therefore necessary to develop and approve a bill on biological safety as soon

as possible, and provide access to GMO-related information, the expert

concluded.

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