Science, regulation, and precedent for genetically modified insects
Questions have been raised about the transparency and scientific quality of regulatory processes applied in the first open field releases of genetically modified (GM) insects, and there is concern that inappropriate precedents have been set, particularly through generic risk assessments covering multiple species and technologies. The GM insects tested in the field so far are intended for sterile insect release programs against a major pest of cotton (pink bollworm, Pectinophora gossypiella) in the United States and against Aedes aegypti, the mosquito vector of dengue fever, in the Cayman Islands, Malaysia, and Brazil.