The Dangers of Genetically Modified Foods Essay Example for Free

The Dangers of Genetically Modified intellectual nourishments EssayDespite the new-fashioned surge in media c everywhereage regarding genetically modified diets (GM nutritions) umpteen Ameri give the sacks be unawargon of what these foods ar, or the practicable benefits and dangers associated with them. Sometimes referred to as country biotechnology genetic modifying means that the DNA of food has been altered in some way at a cellular level. Scientists subscribe to learned that by inserting the genetic info from one organism into another they can create food crops that grow larger, stay fresh longish and are equipped with their own pestisicides. GM foods have been a common part of the national aliment since the early 90s.As with many scientific advances e. g. , using chemo therapy to treat cancer, or underwater oil drilling, on that point have been unexpected, negative side effects. Genetically modified foods are not the super-food they title of respect to be. U ntil further research has been done to verify their guard duty, and prove they do not pose a threat to human health, the environment, and agricultural bio-diversity the use of GM foods should be banned or drastically limited in the United States. humanity wellness Many opponents to GM foods have raised concerns regarding the vast potential for these crops to cause allergic reactions in humans.A medical investigation done in India in 2005 determined that hundreds of agricultural workers developed allergies by and by being exposed to genetically modified cotton that contained barn thuringensis (bt) toxins (Saunders, Ho, Cummins, 2007). Bt toxins are common biological pesticides that can be found in products standardized Roundup a popular brand of household weed killer. Monsanto, the makers of Roundup, is alike currently the world leader in GM food production. Similar research in part of China and Africa as well found a significant increase in the number of allergic reactions account by agricultural works (Saunders, Ho, Cummins, 2007).The Journal of Hematology Thromboembolic Diseases published the results of study done on rodents that yielded shake up results. It was determined that there was a significant detrimental effect to the liver and kidneys of rats fed a rigorously GM maize diet. The negative effects were ca utilize by the mutagenic properties of genetically altered foods and the presence of Bt toxins transferred to and spy in the blood of the animals. The study concluded that forward these foods can be considered safe for human using up there will withdraw to be longer studies completed on the effects of the toxins (Mezzomo, Miranda-Vilela, Freire, Barbosa, Portiho, 2013).Bt toxins, which have also been found in crops of soy and corn, are added to crops in hopes of reducing pests like weeds without the use of outside(a) combatants. The Environment The toxins produced by GM crops are not only dangerous to humans they can be malign to the environment as well. One pledge listed on Monsantos website states We will use healthy and innovative science and thoughtful and effective stewardship to deliver high-quality products that are beneficial to our customers and to the environment (Monsanto, 2013).Many spate have questioned the truthfulness of this promise. Prior to the wide-spread use of GM crops, there were multiple concerns regarding the over-use of chemic pesticides applied by means of sprays. Consumers have been told that by genetically altering the foods so they can produce their own pesticides there would be a vast reduction in the need for sprayed chemicals. Recent studies have shown that this is not the case. A 2007 stick to of farmers who grew maize, soy, and other pesticide tolerant crops showed an increase of 383 million pounds to a greater extent pesticide used than they would have required with non-tolerant seeds.The use of herbicides rosiness 31. 4% from 2007 to 2008 on GM crops. It was shown th at as the weeds become increasingly tolerant to common pesticides like Bt toxins there will be increased need for external chemical pesticides (Budinger, 2013). Washington State University researcher, Charles Benbrook, likened the overexploitation Bt toxins to the overuse of antibiotics to treat common infections and stated that Its very very much the same dynamic in play. By genetically altering corn, soybeans, and cotton so they can be sprayed throughout the growing season, farmers are in a flash spraying their fields three times a season. Naturally as the weeds grow more tolerant they pass that trait to next generation, creating what is commonly referred to as a super-weed (Koebler, 2013). Roundup is a glyphosate-based herbicide used in many GM crops. The makers of Roundup have long describe that this is a safe alternative to chemical pesticides. Although this type of herbicide may be more desirable than its purely chemical rivals there are still environmental factors that mu st be considered.The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has stated that glyphosate has been proven to be deadly to earthworms. The decreased number of earthworms has resulted in a significant decrease of the bird populations in many areas where GM crops are grown (USDA, 2013). There has been no ruling against the use of Bt toxins in the United States tho the French court has over-ruled Monsantos claims that there are no harmful effects to humans or the environment in 2009 (Marshall, 2013). Threats to Agricultural Biodiversity Concerns have also been raised by scientists and environmentalists regarding unintended effects of Bt toxins on non-targeted animals and insects.If the weeds can grow tolerant of the pesticides, it is logical to believe that insect pests may develop a resistance as well. This will cause there to be a spike in the pest insect population causing and imbalance in their relationship to preying animals (John Innes Centre, 2013). The most alarming effect s of pesticides are link to the recent phenomenon of disappearing bees known as Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). This, however, is not related to Bt toxins it is believed to be caused by neonicotinoids, a class of neuro-active insecticides produced by Bayer, the second world leader in GM crop production.A study done by The Harvard School of Public Health was able to urge on CCD by introducing neonicotinoids to four bee colonies. The study showed that bees exposed to high amount of neonicotinoids perished quickly, however the colonies exposed to small amounts over a achievement of four months also eventually succumbed to CCD. Alex Lu, an associate professor of environmental exposure biology in the Department of Environmental Health led the study and stated The significance of bees to agriculture cannot be underestimated, and it apparently doesnt take much of the pesticide to affect the bees.Our experiment included pesticide amounts below what is normally usher in in the environme nt (Chensheng Lu, Kenneth M. Warchol, Richard A. Callahan. 2012).False Promises It is arguable that GM food manufacturers could not anticipate such harmful effects on humans and the environment and therefore we can view their statements regarding health and safety as non-malicious, however, there have also been false claims made by Monsanto that make it extremely difficult for the consumers to have faith in their practices. A Monsanto-trained scientist, Dr.Florence Wambugu, claimed that the lovable potatoes grown on a test farm in Africa showed a high yield that of the non-modified variety grown on the same farm. This caused many proponents of GM foods to claim that international cultivation of these crops will solve our world hunger problems by creating a sustainable food source. It was later discovered that the claims made by Wambugu were untrue and, in fact, the GM sweet potatoes died out much sooner than the naturally grown counter-part. A similar study done in Uganda has also shown that non-GM sweet potatoes produce higher yield.Multiple unsuccessful studies were done on gm sweet potatoes spanning a 12-year period and costing over $6 million (The Department of Nutrition, Food Science, and Packaging at San Jose State University, 2013). The globe Bank and four United Nations agencies completed a study in 2008 and concluded that GM crops are not the solution for creating a sustainable food source. The study found that the sustainability of these crops is unreliable and whereas the yield was higher in some areas, it was significantly lower in others.The study also showed that thorough and near organic farming had a much higher success rate in Africa where there is an emergent need for more food. (Vazakas, Arvanitoyannis, Baltas, 2007) There has been a limited amount of research done to prove the efficacy and safety of GM foods and despite claims that they are not safe for human consumption, they are becoming increasingly harder for Americans to avoid. Si nce the display of GM food there has been a substantial increase in the number of food allergies reported each year in the United States (Will Genetically Engineered Foods Cause Allergic Reactions?, 2006) .The World Health transcription has concluded that further research and monitoring of public health records will need to done before a conclusive answer can be reached (World Health Organization, 2013). It is imperative that the American people get up themselves on the negative side effects of GM foods and put a halt to the practices of GM food giants like Monsanto and Bayer.References Budinger, M. (2013). Whoops The Legacy of Genetically Engineered Food. Retrieved from http//arizonaadvancedmedicine.com/articles/genetically_engineered_food. hypertext markup language Chensheng Lu, Kenneth M. Warchol, Richard A. Callahan. In situ replication of honey bee colony collapse disorder. bare of Insectology. 2012. John Innes Centre. (2013, May). Impact of growing GM crops on biodiversity . Retrieved from http//www. jic. ac. uk/corporate/about/publications/gm-debate/gm-impact-on-biodiversity. htm Koebler, J. (2013, June).Herbicide-Resistant Super Weeds more and more Plaguing Farmers. Retrieved from http//www. usnews.com/news/articles/2012/10/19/herbicide-resistant-super-weeds-increasingly-plaguing-farmers Marshall, E. (2013). European Ruling Curbs Monsantos Claims on GM Crops. Retrieved from http//news. sciencemag. org/scienceinsider/2010/07/european-ruling-curbs-monsantos. html? rss=1 Mezzomo, B. P. , Miranda-Vilela, A. L. , Freire, I. S. , Barbosa, L. P. , Portiho, F. A. (2013).Hematotoxicity of Bacillus Thuringiensis. Journal of Hematology Thromboembolic Diseases, 1(1), 1-9. Monsanto. (2013). monsanto. com. Retrieved from http//www. monsanto.com/newsviews/Pages/Issues-and-Answers. aspx Saunders, P. , Ho, M. , Cummins, J. (2007, March). GM Food Nightmare Unfolding in the Regulatory Sham. Microbial environmental science in Health and Disease. , 19(2), 66-77.The Department of Nutrition, Food Science, and Packaging at San Jose State University. (2013). Harvest of Fear. Retrieved from http//www. nufs. sjsu. edu/clariebh/Harvest%20of%20Fear. html USDA. (2013). Draft Environmental Impact Statment November 2009. Retrieved from http//www. aphis. usda. gov/biotechnology/downloads/alfalfa/gealfalfa_deis.pdf Vazakas, T. H. , Arvanitoyannis, I. S. , Baltas, H. (2007, October). The Polotics and Science behind GMO Acceptance.Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 47(4), 335-61. Will Genetically Engineered Foods Cause Allergic Reactions? (2006, October 5). American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Retrieved from http//www. asbmb. org/ World Health Organization. (2013). Evaluation of Allergenicity of Genetically Modified Foods. Retrieved from http//www. who. int/foodsafety/publications/biotech/en/ec_jan2001. pdf.