Scientists Fear Effects of Fungal Bio-Weapon on Amazonian Ecosystem
Agência Estado
September 8, 2000
The possibility of the use of the fungus Fusarium oxysporum in Colombia's war on drugs has sparked controversy among the international scientific community, and particularly in Brazil. Scientists are concerned that the fungus could pose a danger to the Amazonian ecosystems of Colombia, Peru, and Brazil. There are many plants related to the coca plant living throughout these ecosystems and the fungus' effect on them is not known for certain. Furthermore, the possibility of mutation is not entirely unlikely and causes even more concern. According to the Sunshine Project, an NGO created to fight the harmful use of biotechnology, the fungus, known as Agent Green, is a biological weapon developed over many years by the United States government to be as aggressive as possible in its attack on the coca plant. The Sunshine Project believes the fungus should be classified as a weapon for biological warfare and banned internationally. Though the United States is pushing heavily for the use of Agent Green in the Colombia Plan, the final decision rests with the Colombian government, which so far has been largely ambivalent on the matter.