The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded a grant in the amount of $433,100 to the University of Chicago for researching how allergic reactions to food are initiated, Medical News Today reports. What is particularly fascinating, however, is that the investigation is intended to help assess whether pesticides produced in genetically engineered plants can trigger food allergies.

The EPA regulates pesticide-use and sets the allowed levels for pesticide residue in food. The agency also evaluates human health and ecological risks. The grant will fund a study as part of the EPA's Science to Achieve Results Program (STAR).

Specifically, the research teams will attempt to determine why it is that certain antibodies react to foods and allergens that are consumed. Once this is understood, it may be possible to assess the likelihood of people developing allergies to new genetically engineered foods.

Could this genetic engineering and pesticide use be what's behind the rise in food allergies, which already affect more than 11 million Americans? To put things in perspective, the number of allergy-related emergency room visits in the United States doubled between 1997-2002.

As Lek Kadeli, an administrator for the Office of Research and Development, puts it, ‘There is a shortage of information on how food allergies develop, what causes the allergic reaction, and how to prevent them. This study will bring us closer to identifying key immune factors that lead to food allergies.’

For more information on this topic, see Environmentalism, Allergies & Asthma.