EPA Warns Doctor to Not Eat StarLink During Hearing

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The Wall Street Journal reports that the Environmental Protection Agency sent a letter to Florida optometrist Keith Finger warning him to not eat StarLink genetically modified corn during his presentation at a hearing on the matter. The agency said it couldn't "be responsible for ensuring your safety," citing concern that Dr. Finger might have an allergic reaction to something other than StarLink. Last month the EPA declared that StarLink corn didn't cause allergic reactions in test subjects. What was not reported in the WSJ is that Finger claims he went into anaphylactic shock after eating corn chips with StarLink in them. According to a transcript from NPR's Religion & Ethics Newsweekly, Finger is now part of a class-action suit against Aventis and others, alleging they knowingly or recklessly allowed StarLink corn to enter the human food chain. A Reuters Health story reports that the US Food and Drug Administration identified StarLink genetic material in white corn chips while investigating a complaint made by Finger, who said he alerted the FDA to the possible contamination after experiencing a mild allergic reaction.