Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-2brh9 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-26T04:53:53.022Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Comment on “Session V: Estimating Likelihood and Exposure”, by Zaida Lentini, Environ. Biosafety Res. 5 (2006) 193–195

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 June 2008

Franco Digiovanni  and
Peter G. Kevan
Franco Digiovanni
Affiliation:
Airzone One Ltd., 222 Matheson Boulevard East, Mississauga, Ontario, L4Z 1X1, Canada
Peter G. Kevan
Affiliation:
Environmental Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1, Canada

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

We comment on Zaida Lentini's summary of Session V (titled “Estimating Likelihood and Exposure”) of the 9th International Symposium on the Biosafety of Genetically Modified Organisms. We provide an explanation of the drawbacks of using empirical pollen dispersion models, based largely on the general representativeness of the data used to generate the empirical models. We exemplify the drawbacks by highlighting the limited data used to develop the empirical model of Gustafson (presented in the same Symposium session). We provide a discussion of the meaning of “worst-case” assessments for pollen dispersion, how “worst-case” assumptions are commonly used in environmental impact assessments and how regulators will view worst-case impact assessments differently from the regulated (biotech) community. Finally, we clarify the advantages and disadvantages of mechanistic models and explain why they are often used in preference to empirical models in environmental impact assessments.

Keywords

pollen dispersiongene flowmechanistic modelsempirical modelsdata representativenessworst-caseenvironmental impact assessments
Type
Research Article
Information
Environmental Biosafety Research , Volume 7 , Issue 2 , April 2008 , pp. 105 - 108
Copyright
© ISBR, EDP Sciences, 2008

References

Abaza H, Bisset R, Sadler B (2004) Environmental Impact Assessment and Strategic Environmental Assessment: Towards and Integrated Approach. UNEP/Earthprint. ISBN: 9280724290, 148 p
Andow D (2006) The framework and progressing through it. Conference Proceedings for 9th International Symposium on the Biosafety of Genetically Modified Organisms, Sep. 24–29, 2006, Jeju Island, Korea. ISBR (available at: http://www.isbr.info/isbgmo/docs/9th_isbgmo_program.pdf), pp 64–67
Aylor, DE, Ferrandino, FJ (1989) Dispersion of spores released from an elevated line source within a wheat canopy. Bound. Layer Meteorol. 46: 251–273 CrossRef
Benetrix, F, Bloc, D (2003) Possible coexistence. Perspectives Agricoles 294: 14–15
Caley P (2006) On invasiveness of transgenic plants: evaluating screening models and their predictions. Conference Proceedings for 9th International Symposium on the Biosafety of Genetically Modified Organisms, Sep. 24–29, 2006, Jeju Island, Korea. ISBR (available at: http://www.isbr.info/isbgmo/docs/9th_isbgmo_program.pdf), pp 79–82
DiGiovanni F (2006) Physical modelling for assessing out-crossing of wind pollinated crops. Conference Proceedings for 9th International Symposium on the Biosafety of Genetically Modified Organisms, Sep. 24–29, 2006, Jeju Island, Korea. ISBR (available at: http://www.isbr.info/isbgmo/docs/9th_isbgmo_program.pdf), pp 119–123
DiGiovanni, F, Kevan, PG, Nasr, ME (1995) The variability in settling velocities of some pollen and spores. Grana 34: 39–44 CrossRef
Gustafson D (2006) Empirical modeling of genetically-modified maize grain production practises to achieve European Union labelling thresholds. Conference Proceedings for 9th International Symposium on the Biosafety of Genetically Modified Organisms, Sep. 24–29, 2006, Jeju Island, Korea. ISBR (available at: http://www.isbr.info/isbgmo/docs/9th_isbgmo_program.pdf), pp 113–118
Halsey, ME, Remund, CA, Davis, CA, Qualls, M, Eppard, PJ, Berberich, SA (2005) Isolation of maize from pollen-mediated gene flow by time and distance. Crop Sci. 45: 2172–2185 CrossRef
Hayes K (2006) Methods to address uncertainty in ecological risk assessment of genetically modified organisms. Conference Proceedings for 9th International Symposium on the Biosafety of Genetically Modified Organisms, Sep. 24–29, 2006, Jeju Island, Korea. ISBR (available at: http://www.isbr.info/isbgmo/docs/9th_isbgmo_program.pdf), pp 28–31
Hill R (2006) Principles for risk assessment - an international perspective. Conference Proceedings for 9th International Symposium on the Biosafety of Genetically Modified Organisms, Sep. 24–29, 2006, Jeju Island, Korea. ISBR (available at: http://www.isbr.info/isbgmo/docs/9th_isbgmo_program.pdf), pp 32–37
Jones MD, Brooks JS (1950) Effectiveness of distance and boarder rows in preventing outcrossing in corn. Oklahoma Agric. Exp. Stn. Tech. Bull. No. T-38. Oklahoma State Univ., Stillwater, OK
Ma, BL, Subedi, KD, Reid, LM (2004) Extent of cross-fertilization in maize by pollen from neighbouring transgenic hybrids. Crop Sci. 44: 1273–1282 CrossRef
Official Journal of the European Union (2003) Regulation (EC) No. 1830/2003 of the European Parliament and Council (September 22, 2003) concerning traceability and labelling of genetically modified organisms and the traceability of food and feed products from genetically modified organisms and amending Directive 2001/18/EG, L268/P.24, 18.10.2003
Ontario Ministry of the Environment (2005) Procedure for preparing an emission summary and dispersion modelling report. Ver. 2. PIBs # 3614e02 (available at: http://www.ene.gov.on.ca/envision/gp/3614e02.pdf)
Raybould A (2006) Problem formulation for environmental risk assessment of genetically modified crops. Conference Proceedings for 9th International Symposium on the Biosafety of Genetically Modified Organisms, Sep. 24–29, 2006, Jeju Island, Korea. ISBR (available at: http://www.isbr.info/isbgmo/docs/9th_isbgmo_program.pdf), pp 47–51
Rosenbaum EW, Horak MJ, Pester TA, Nickson TE (2005) Evaluation of temporal isolation on frequency and distance of pollen-mediated gene flow in corn measured at two interfiled spacings. Proc. of the North Central Weed Science Society Annual Meeting, Kansas City, MO, 12–15 Dec. 2005, North Central Weed Sci. Soc., Champaign, IL, 132 p
Sears MK, Stanley-Horn D (2000) Impact of Bt corn pollen on monarch butterfly populations. In Fairburn C, Scoles G, McHughen A, eds, Proc. of the 6th Int. Symp. on The Biosafety of Genetically Modified Organisms, Saskatoon, SK, Univ. of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon