Cancer Concerns: What Monsanto’s Practices Have To Do With Wash U

What does corn in Russia say about Washington University? It might sound like an odd question, but recent studies show that it is strangely applicable. Monsanto, the controversial agricultural science company based in St. Louis, has had a close relationship with our university for decades. Monsanto Hall houses the Biology Department on campus and was the first building at Wash U to be named after a corporation. Many faculty members in the Biology Department also work with Monsanto and often apply to the corporation for grants for research. This fruitful relationship aside, Monsanto is criticized for aggressive business practices, flimsy environmental policies, and the questionable health of their products.

In late September, a French paper published a study conducted on a breed of corn known as NK603 which was developed by Monsanto. The study fed 200 rats corn over the two-year study. Rats who were fed Monsanto’s genetically modified corn were more than twice as likely to develop tumors, have organ damage, and experience premature death than rats who did not eat genetically modified corn. Following this study, Russia issued a temporary ban on imports of Monsanto corn, and the African Centre for Biosafety in South Africa is urging its government to ban Monsanto imports as well. Monsanto representatives argue against the reliability of the study and assert that their corn has passed all studies necessary to gain market approval. However, this is the first study to exceed a 90-day span, giving credibility that it could reveal previously undiscovered health concerns. Monsanto has a history of releasing unsound products, such as genetically modified milk that was banned in the 1990s after it was shown to increase the risk of breast cancer. Nevertheless, scientists, many of whom do not affiliate with Monsanto, have objected to the methods of the French study, citing the small sample size and the propensity of the rats used to develop tumors even without dietary changes.

Whatever the outcome of the debate on this strain of corn, the controversy should remind students that despite Wash U’s emphasis on healthy and environmentally-friendly food, endowment does not come from pure sources. There may be nothing wrong with working with Monsanto when they provide our University with critical funds, but as Wash U students, we must recognize the strings attached with this relationship.