Mysterious Deaths in Alabama: Could They Be Related to Monsanto’s Bt Cotton Crops?

Mysterious Deaths in Alabama: Could They Be Related to Monsanto’s Bt Cotton Crops?







Daisy Luther
Activist Post

RT reported Wednesday on a bizarre spate of respiratory illnesses in Alabama, two resulting in death.
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
A mysterious respiratory illness has claimed the lives of two people in
southeast Alabama, and caused five other hospitalizations. The illness
has left health officials baffled, who have no idea what this disease is
or where it originated. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The mysterious illness has sickened its victims with flu-like symptoms,
including a shortness of breath, fever, and coughing. Of the seven
people who were hospitalized with the new disease, two have died,
Alabama Department of Public Health spokeswoman Mary McIntyre told AP.</blockquote>
While the cause is currently unknown, it’s interesting to note that
Southeastern Alabama’s cotton fields are in full bloom this time of year
– and that some of these crops are Bt cotton. Bt cotton is a
genetically modified cotton that contains a Bacillus thuringiensis (or Bt) pesticide within the plant.

There is no proof that this is related to the
mysterious illnesses in Alabama, however, history shows us that serious
illnesses occurred in India wherever Bt cotton was grown.

When Monsanto’s cotton was planted in India, two stories were presented.





The Institute for Responsible Technology reported :
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Workers exposed to Bt cotton developed allergies </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
1. Agricultural laborers in six villages who picked or loaded Bt cotton
reported reactions of the skin, eyes and upper respiratory tract.
2. Some laborers required hospitalization.
3. Employees at a cotton gin factory take antihistamines everyday.
4. One doctor treated about 250 cotton laborers </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Sheep died after grazing in Bt cotton fields </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
1. After the cotton harvest in parts of India, sheep herds grazed continuously on Bt cotton plants.
2. Reports from four villages revealed that about 25% of the sheep died within a week.
3. Post mortem studies suggest a toxic reaction.</blockquote>
If you are to believe the Monsanto PR folks, however, their seeds and
Indian farms were a match made in heaven. They even created a page on their website to celebrate ten years of partnership and to explain how Bt cotton improved the farmers’ standards of living:
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Bollgard
has been Indian farmers’ pragati ka saathi (partner in progress), as it
has increasingly helped Bt cotton farmers enjoy a higher standard of
living. With the combination of higher yields and reduced pesticide
costs, India’s cotton farmers have increased their incomes. And with
this additional money, they are able to purchase vehicles, provide
education for their children, afford better housing for their families
and purchase farm equipment. Additionally, because these farmers have
additional income, they are able to put resources back into their
villages’ economies. Therefore, villages where farmers are planting Bt
cotton have seen improvements in access to services, such as telephone
systems, electricity, drinking water, better internet connectivity,
banking services, and better access to markets – things many around the
world take for granted.</blockquote>
Despite Monsanto’s glowing description of the partnership, cotton
farmers in India began to commit suicide at a rate unheard of
previously, as the crops failed and they could not pay their debts to
Monsanto. Anthony Gucciardi of Natural Society wrote:
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
According to the most recent figures (provided by the New York University School of Law), 17,638 Indian farmers committed suicide in 2009 — about one death every 30 minutes. In 2008, the Daily Mail labeled
the continual and disturbing suicide spree as ‘The GM (genetically
modified) Genocide’. Due to failing harvests and inflated prices that
bankrupt the poor farmers, struggling Indian farmers began to kill
themselves. Oftentimes, they would commit the act by drinking the very
same insecticide that Monsanto supplied them with — a gruesome testament
to the extent in which Monsanto has wrecked the lives of independent
and traditional farmers. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
To further add backing to the tragedy, the rate of Indian farmer suicides massively increased
since the introduction of Monsanto’s Bt cotton in 2002. It is no wonder
that a large percentage of farmers who take their own lives are cotton
farmers, the demographic that is thought to be among the most impacted… </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
…Many families are now ruined thanks to the mass suicides, and are left
to economic ruin and must struggle to fight off starvation.</blockquote>
Regardless
of PR efforts to debunk claims that the Indian farmer’s were suffering
due to Monsanto’s practices, the Indian government last year cancelled the cotton license with
Monsanto, citing unfair trading practices. "We have given fair chance
to the company and all charges of unfair trade practice have been
proved," says Sudam Adsule, the director of inputs and quality control
for Maharashtra, India’s biggest industrial region, in the ENS article.
“Hence, under the existing cotton seed act, we have taken action and it
can’t be revoked.”

This year, Monsanto introduced 3 new varieties of “Deltapine” cotton,
with 180 growers testing them out. This means that the communities
around these growers are unwitting lab rats in Monsanto’s latest
experiment.

Are the mystery illness victims casualties of this current experiment?
If so, proving it will be difficult and because of the Monsanto
Protection Act, it is unlikely that, even if proven, any penalty or
charges will ever be forthcoming against the company.

source:-
http://www.activistpost.com/2013/05/mysterious-deaths-in-alabama-could-they.html