The Canadian decision may have far-reaching consequences. CFS says it will sue the FDA if rbST is not taken off the market. Scientific debate remains hampered by secrecy surrounding regulatory reviews, which has also left several bodies open to allegations of bias. Both panels have chairs and a number of members who have worked closely with related industries. For example, CoC alleges that human-safety panellist Rejeanne Gougeon has been a consultant for Monsanto on rbST since 1993.
International agencies are also under fire.
Canada's experience shows that we need more, not less, review. By Charles Arthur, Technology Editor Genetically engineered biological weapons capable of targeting particular ethnic groups could become reality within 10 years, an expert panel warned yesterday. Yet the scientific advances that would make such weapons possible will be a spin-off of two areas of medicine with potentially huge benefits. The first is the Human Genome Project, which aims to unravel the 100,000 or so genes in human DNA by 2003. The other is the nascent technology of gene therapy, which tries to repair defective genes in the body.