The purpose of this article is to provide my strongest support to G.E. Séralini, professor at the University of Caen. I learned that Prof. Séralini had carried out some comparative studies, which have had a considerable impact. To my knowledge, these experiments were designed and analyzed in accordance with the best professional standards, and should be appreciated as such.
One of the most interesting and innovative points of these experiments is that they were carried out over an unusually long period. It is a fact well known to experimenters that similar analyses conducted over shorter periods are not able to detect long-term toxic effects.
The particular case of tumour development falls into this category, and it is therefore not surprising that existing studies conducted over shorter periods than Séralini’s work have not thus far revealed significant differences in treatment groups [compared with controls].
So I think Prof. Séralini provided very strong evidence sufficient to establish the existence of some unexpected toxic effects from products previously considered safe. Of course, there will always be people who challenge these results, because they are likely to have important consequences for industry. Their point of view cannot be sustained in the light of new experimental results, since there is no doubt about the seriousness and reliability of the conclusions of Prof. Séralini.
Paul Deheuvels, Member of the Academy of Sciences, France, and the Academy’s sole statistician (1)
(1)Deheuvels P. Étude de Séralini sur les OGM: Pourquoi sa méthodologie est statistiquement bonne [Seralini study on GMOs: Why the methodology is statistically sound]. Le Nouvel Observateur. 9 October 2012. http://www.gmwatch.org/component/content/article/14294
