We have analyzed Bt transgenic maize harvested from a commercial fi eld in the Philippines, and have proven extremely high differences in concentrations of Bt toxin between individual seeds. These observations have clear implications for the design of studies related to health effects, since the majority of published investigations of Bt toxins fail to report the actual toxin concentrations in the test materials.

The progress of blood antibody analyses of villagers living close to Bt-transgenic maize fields have been temporarily halted due to lack of resources. These analyses require that an assortment of immunologic tests is employed. No standardized methods for these types of analyses currently exist. The project is extremely demanding
as it also presupposes the development of new robust methods. This is particularly important since the results may have major economic and regulatory consequences. Rigid quality control of the results is therefore an absolute requirement.