wisewords
GMO Truths and Consequences
Health and Safety are Question Marks by Melinda Hemmelgarn
T
he food industry tells consumers that geneti-
cally engineered foods are safe. On university cam- puses, agriculture students learn that such genetically modified organisms (GMO) are both safe and necessary to feed the world. The Council for Biotechnology Information, a biotech
industry-supported nonprofit, even created a coloring book to teach children about the many ben- efits of GMO crops, including improved nutrition.
Most GMO crops have been geneti- cally engineered to withstand spraying with herbicides,
such as Monsanto’s Roundup-Ready
soybeans, or to produce their own pesticides, such as “Bt” corn
and cotton. Bill Freese, a science policy analyst at the nonprofit Center for Food Safety, warns us to be leery of simplistic claims that don’t take into account un- intended consequences. For example, he points out that, “GMO crops have nothing to do with feeding the world, because almost all genetically engi- neered crops are corn and soybeans... used to feed livestock in rich countries, or to feed automobiles.” Approximately 40 percent of corn currently is used to make ethanol. Freese adds, “They don’t increase yields and they don’t increase nutri- tion.” But GMO crops have led to a staggering increase in herbicide use, putting both farmers and consumers at greater risk for exposure to these toxins and related diseases, according to the Center for Food Safety. So the question is: Are GMOs the
panacea industry wants us to believe, or are they contributing to chronic dis- ease? Here are three claims commonly heard about GMOs, generally made by the biotechnology industry and their funded researchers.
Claim: GMOs are safe.
Fact Check: Little research exists on the long-term effects of consuming GMO foods. According to Douglas Guri- an-Sherman, a senior scientist with the Union of Concerned Scientists, safety assessments have left us with signifi- cant uncertainties about whether GMO food is safe or not. However, concerns voiced by the Center for Food Safety revolve around potential allergens and toxins from both herbicide and pesticide residues and new genetic material. New research from the Euro- pean Union published in Food and Chemical Toxicology adds to growing concerns about the risks. Researchers discovered that rats fed GMO corn and drinking water containing Roundup herbicide experienced negative health effects during their two-year lifes- pan, including mammary tumors and disabled pituitary function in females, and liver and kidney damage in males. These outcomes were attributed to the endocrine-disrupting effects of Round- up, as well as the genetic makeup of the engineered corn. What makes this study unique
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