FDA sued over genetically altered fish
GloFish sales dangerous, groups say
January 15, 2004
By John Keilman
Chicago Tribune staff reporter
Environmental and food-safety advocates sued the federal government Wednesday in an effort to stop the sale of GloFish, one of the country's first genetically engineered pets.
The inch-long fish, whose red luminescence comes from the DNA of sea coral, has been available in the Chicago area for a month, and sales began nationally last week. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has declined to regulate it, saying it poses no threat to the food chain.
But the International Center for Technology Assessment and the Center for Food Safety, advocacy groups that examine how production methods affect the food supply, said the FDA is ignoring its duty to regulate all genetically engineered animals, whether or not they're intended to be eaten.
"If the FDA does not regulate the GloFish because it's not a food animal, they're opening the door to all non-food animals coming in unregulated," said Peter Jenkins, an attorney for both organizations.
He cited a federal study that concluded that a genetically engineered goldfish should be subject to FDA rules. The study, done by the White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy and the Council on Environmental Quality, said researchers are using genetic technology to develop goldfish that can tolerate colder water and concluded that that could disrupt native species.
The groups want the FDA to bar the sale of GloFish and other genetically altered creatures until regulations, including mandatory environmental-impact studies, are in place.
FDA officials declined to comment, saying they could not talk about pending litigation.
The GloFish, one of two genetically engineered fish sold in the United States, has been a great success, according to Yorktown Technologies, the Austin, Texas, company that sells it. Aquatics Inc., a Norridge wholesaler of aquarium fish, has sent more than 3,000 GloFish to Chicago-area pet stores since December, according to general manager Bruce Cratty.
Yorktown officials said that they consulted with scientists and regulatory agencies for two years before bringing the GloFish to market and that it was found to be safe.
The most exhaustive review of the GloFish's possible environmental impact came in California, where state scientists determined last year that the fish were unlikely to survive or cause problems if released into the wild. California's Fish and Game Commission banned their sale anyway, saying pets were not an appropriate use for genetic engineering.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0401150400jan15,1,4350601.story
