What are GMOs?
GMO stands for genetically modified organism. This genetic modification is done by scientists who inject foreign genes into plant or animal DNA.
What is the purpose of genetic modification?
Genetic modification is done for a variety of reasons, including making plants resistant to bugs, herbicides, and extreme weather conditions. It has also been used to increase the nutritional content of crops.
How is it done?
As an example, let’s say you want to make a plant withstand cold weather conditions. You start by finding a plant that grows well in a cold climate. Next, you figure out which one of its genes allows it to survive the low temperatures. Finally, you implant the cold-resistant gene into another plant’s DNA.
Another example is bug-resistant crops. In order to deter bugs, the toxic protein “bacillus thuringiensis” (Bt) is added directly to a plant’s DNA.
Who does the genetic engineering?
Monsanto is the largest producer of genetically modified (GM) seeds. Monsanto is also known for producing PCBs, DDT, and Agent Orange. If you’re not familiar with those chemicals, here’s a quick rundown.
PCBs have been shown to cause cancer. They also damage the immune system, nervous system, endocrine system, and reproductive system.
DDT can cause cancer, reproductive problems, nausea, dizziness, confusion, headache, lethargy, incoordination, vomiting, fatigue, and tremors.
Agent Orange exposure can lead to numerous types of cancer and severe birth defects.
So, is it safe?
The FDA has classified GMOs as “generally recognized as safe.” As usual, I chose to look at the research myself. Here’s what I found:
Stomach Inflammation – The Institute of Health and Environmental Research conducted a study on pigs that were fed GM soy and GM corn. Female pigs that ate the GM food were 267% more likely to have severe stomach inflammation. Male pigs were 400% more likely to have inflammation when eating the GM foods.
Severe Allergic Reactions – Farmers in India exposed to GM cotton had severe allergic reactions affecting their skin, eyes, nose, and upper respiratory tract.
Tumors – A long-term study showed that rats eating GM corn developed gigantic, disgusting tumors. This study was criticized because it used sprague-dawley rats. However, many pro-GMO studies used the same type of rats. Oddly, those studies did not receive the same criticism.
(It’s interesting to note that there were studies linking smoking to cancer as far back as 1761, yet the public didn’t start to accept the mounting research until the 1950s.)
Butterflies and Bees – A study commissioned by the UK government found that in GM canola fields butterfly and bee populations were dropping drastically. Bee population was cut by ½, while butterfly population was cut by 2/3.
Liver / Kidney Toxicity – Rats that were fed GM corn had increased kidney and liver toxicity. The authors of the study concluded, “…with the present data it cannot be concluded that GM corn MON863 is a safe product.”
Fertility Problems – Rats fed GM corn had impaired fertility. A Russian study done with GM soy concluded, “…animals that eat GM foodstuffs lose their ability to reproduce.”
Digestive Problems – A study done on fish in Norway showed that GM soybeans caused gastro-intestinal problems.
Increased Appetite – This study showed that the effects of GMOs can be passed up the food chain. They started by feeding GM corn to fish. Then those fish were fed to rats. The rats had an increased appetite and grew fatter.
Bt-laced GMOs – GMOs that contain the toxin Bt have been shown to be toxic to human cells—not just the bugs they were intended to kill.
There are also numerous studies that claim GMOs are essentially the same as regular crops. Some of those studies can be found here.
GMO Bans
Several countries have either banned GMOs or severely limited their production.
Italy – Several cities across Italy, including Rome, Turin, Genoa, Milan, and Tuscany, have banned GM crops.
Austria – Austria has banned GM corn from Monsanto.
China – The Chinese military is no longer allowed to feed GMOs to troops.
France – France has banned GM corn from Monsanto.
Germany – Germany has banned has banned GM corn from Monsanto.
Luxembourg – Luxebourg has banned Bt corn made by Novartis.
Portugal – Portugal has banned Bt corn made by Novartis.
Greece – Greece has banned GM corn from Monsanto and GM potatoes from BASF.
Hungary – Hungary has banned GM corn from Monsanto.
Poland – Poland has banned GM corn from Monsanto, and has a ban on sales of any GM seeds.
Romania – Romania has banned GM corn from Monsanto.
UK – The Church of England refuses to allow GM crops on its land. The House of Commons won’t allow GM crops to be used in its catering.
Norway – Norway has banned GM crops containing antibiotic resistant genes.
Australia – Several locations across Australia have declared themselves to be GMO-free
New Zealand – Some areas of New Zealand are GMO-free.
Thailand – Thailand has banned over 40 GM crops.
Saudi Arabia – Saudi Arabia has banned growing GMOs and importing GM wheat.
Egypt – Egypt has banned all GM wheat imports.
Algeria – Algeria has an outright ban on all GMOs, except for research purposes.
Brazil – Brazil has banned the planting of GM seeds.
Japan – Japan has various GMO bans.
Bulgaria – Bulgaria has a ban on all GMOs.
Russia - Russia has a ban on all GMOs.
USA – Many attempts have been made to ban GM crops, but they have mostly been shot down by legislators.
The countries and crops on this list will continue to grow as time goes on.
Avoiding GMOs
If you’d like to steer clear of GMOs, you may want to check out the list of common GMOs.
Sources:
http://www.monsanto.com/newsviews/pages/food-safety.aspx - purpose of GMOs
http://www.bt.ucsd.edu/bt_crop.html - pesticide toxin added to crops
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/tp17-c5.pdf - Monsanto produced 99% of PCBs
http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/hazard/tsd/pcbs/pubs/effects.htm - Negative effects of PCBs
http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/ddtgen.pdf - Negative effects of DDT
http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/conditions/index.asp - Negative effects of Agent Orange
http://gmojudycarman.org/new-study-shows-that-animals-are-seriously-harmed-by-gm-feed/ - GM pig feed; stomach inflammation
http://www.biosafety-info.net/article.php?aid=352 – GM cotton caused severe allergic reactions
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22999595 - GM corn caused massive, disgusting tumors
http://www.ask-force.org/web/HerbizideTol/Williams-Safety-Evaluation-Risk-Assessment-RR-2000.pdf - pro-GMO study used Sprague-Dawley rats
http://tobacco.harpweek.com/hubpages/CommentaryPage.asp?Commentary=Cancer – tobacco/cancer link researched in 1761 by Dr. John Hill
http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/272/1562/463.full.pdf - butterflies and bees
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17356802 - gm corn caused increased liver/kidney toxicity
http://www.biosicherheit.de/pdf/aktuell/zentek_studie_2008.pdf - GM corn caused reproductive problems
http://voiceofrussia.com/2010/04/16/6524765.html/ - Rats couldn’t reproduce.
http://www.gmwatch.eu/gm-videosb/28-gm-food-safety/14120 - digestive issues from gm soy; gm corn caused animals to eat more
http://www.gmfreecymru.org/pivotal_papers/crucial27.htm - Bt toxic to humans
http://gaiapresse.ca/images/nouvelles/28563.pdf - Most GM studies done by biotech companies
http://www.organicconsumers.org/gefood/countrieswithbans.cfm - GMO bans
http://www.gmo-free-regions.org - GMO bans
http://ecowatch.com/2014/05/15/chinese-army-gmo/ - Chinese Army eats non-gmo
http://www.thenation.com/blog/176863/twenty-six-countries-ban-gmos-why-wont-us - gmo bans