The world according to Monsanto : pollution, corruption, and

transgenic wheat 233prised that the label provided information on its organic composition, thenutrients, and “even the trace amounts of copper” it contained, but did notsay a word about the fact that it was a product of genetic engineering noreven that it “contain[ed] an insecticide.” He then decided to call JamesMaryanski, the biotechnology coordinator at the FDA, who told him: “Bt isa pesticide, so it’s exempt” from FDA regulation and therefore falls underthe jurisdiction of the EPA. Since Pollan was going to eat his potatoes, hewanted to know if the EPA had tested their food safety. “Not exactly,”Maryanski replied. As the name indicates, “pesticides are toxic to something,”so the EPA instead establishes human “tolerances.” Pollan thencalled the EPA, where he was told that since “a New Leaf is nothing morethan the sum of a safe potato and a safe pesticide,” the agency thought itposed no human health risks. Pollan goes on: “Let us assume that my potatoesare a pesticide—a very safe pesticide. Every pesticide in my gardenshed—including the Bt sprays—carries a lengthy warning label. The labelon my bottle of Bt says, among other things, that I should avoid inhaling thespray or getting it in an open wound. So if my New Leaf potatoes contain anEPA-registered pesticide, why don’t they carry some such label?”It would be hard to find a better illustration of the aberrant nature of theAmerican regulatory system: the EPA, after being alerted to the possible allergeniceffects of StarLink corn, decided to restrict its use to animal feedinstead of simply banning it. It is worth noting the complete indifference ofthe FDA to this question; a letter sent by Alan Rulis on May 29, 1998, toAgrEvo, the Aventis subsidiary that was marketing StarLink, did not mentionthe issue at all, instead merely explaining: “As you are aware, it isAgrEvo’s continued responsibility to assure that foods the firm markets aresafe, wholesome, and in compliance with all applicable legal and regulatoryrequirements.” 27The FDA official didn’t know how right he was. By September 2000, theagency had been overwhelmed by frightened calls from around the UnitedStates. One of them came from Grace Booth, who said that at a businesslunch where she ate enchiladas, she suddenly experienced hot flashes andviolent diarrhea, her lips swelled, and she lost her voice. “I felt like I was goingto die,” she told CBS. 28 Immediately transported to a California hospital,she survived thanks to the quick administration of an anti-allergymedication. All the reports reaching the FDA spoke of violent reactionsassociated with the consumption of corn-based products. Interviewed by