A type of genetically modified mosquito made by the British company Oxitec should pose no danger to the environment, US regulators said on [August 5]…
The US Food and Drug Administration’s environmental review for the release of Oxitec’s genetically engineered (GE) mosquitoes…found “the proposed field trial will not have significant impacts on the environment.”
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The prospect of releasing the mosquitoes in the Florida Keys has stirred strong opposition among many residents, and a petition against them on change.org has garnered more than 168,000 signatures.
The FDA said it had reviewed thousands of comments from the public since issuing a draft environmental assessment in March [2016].
“We’re delighted with the announcement today that the FDA, after their extensive review of our dossier and thousands of public comments for a trial in the Florida Keys, have published their final view that this will not have a significant impact on the environment,” said Oxitec’s chief executive officer Hadyn Parry.
“We are convinced that our solution is both highly effective and has sound environmental credentials,” Parry added.
The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion and analysis. Read full, original post: US finds GMO mosquitoes won’t harm environment