Accidental releases of GMO materials in Montes Claros
-November 2005
On 15 September 2005, Novo Nordisk had an accidental release of materials containing GMOs – genetically modified organisms - at the production site in Montes Claros, Brazil. The GMOs in question cannot survive outside of their usual protected environment in the laboratory. It is therefore very unlikely that the GMO cells could spread to the external environment, or that they could possibly harm humans.
Due to a leakage from the bottom valve of one of the tanks where GMOs are being inactivated a volume of 700 liters drained into the company water treatment system on site. The leakage was discovered during review of documentation, and the local environmental authorities, CTNbio, were immediately informed. CTNbio inspected the facilities on 23 September and agreed with the site management’s conclusion that there was no risk that the GMOs could spread to the external environment. Novo Nordisk only uses GMOs in closed production facilities – a production method called contained use – and the GMOs are in a category that is safe and well-known and cannot survive outside the production environment. Nevertheless, to mitigate the risk of any such event occurring again, a second valve system has now been established, and a new risk assessment has been performed.
“Safety always has to take high priority in managing modern biotechnology, and when an accidental release such as this one can occur, we must take further precautions,” says Per Valstorp, Senior Vice President, Product Supply.
At Novo Nordisk the use of GMOs adheres to international classification criteria and presents no risk to human health or to the environment. The use of GMOs is regulated by national legislation and regularly controlled by the authorities. In addition, the company’s environmental management system calls for close monitoring to ensure that any emitted GMOs do not survive outside of the production facilities. No viable production organisms have ever been identified in the collected samples.
There have only been two previous incidents of accidental release of GMOs since 2000. Both were at the production site in Bagsvaerd, Denmark, in August 2004. See the reported information. See the company’s position on gene technology.
