A New Form of Living Pollution-GMO's

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Take action to stop GMO's- go to http://www.truefoodnow.org

 

 

A New Form of Living Pollution, Genetically Engineered Foods Pose

Irrevocable Threats to the Environment

 

Source- www.truefoodnow.org

 

Attention shoppers: If you have recently purchased food products containing

soy, corn, canola (oilseed rape) or a wide range of other ingredients,

chances are that you have consumed genetically engineered (GE) organisms.

Biotechnology companies are producing increasing numbers of genetically

engineered products--such as corn spliced with virus genes in the hope of

creating disease resistance--and selling them to farmers all over the world.

GE crops are alive, and once introduced into the natural world they can

mutate, multiply and breed with surrounding life for generations to come.

These organisms have the potential to wreak havoc on natural ecosystems and

threaten human health, yet the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does

not even require these foods to be labeled as such.

 

What Is Genetic Engineering?

 

For years, farmers have used the natural process of cross-breeding closely

related species of plants in order to develop hybrids with certain desired

traits. Genetic engineering takes the process out of the fields and into the

laboratory by allowing scientists to cut out genes, or bits of a living

organism's DNA, and splice them into totally unrelated species.

Biotechnology companies have been selling U.S. farmers genetically

engineered foods for nearly five years, releasing these new organisms into

the environment and the food chain with inadequate testing or safeguards.

 

A New Era of Biological Pollution

 

Biological pollution from the introduction of genetically engineered

organisms into the natural world may cause irreversible environmental

damage. One major threat is the evolution and rampant spread of

" superweeds " -undesirable plant species with a high tolerance for otherwise

toxic chemicals. For instance, some GE crops such as Monsanto's " Roundup

Ready " soybean, canola (oilseed rape), corn and cotton, have been engineered

to withstand direct applications of herbicide. When these crops are

introduced into the environment, the herbicide resistance gene can be

transferred through pollen to surrounding plants. Once this occurs, farmers

will have to run the " chemical treadmill, " using increasingly higher levels

of the herbicide or turning to new chemicals to prevent weeds from taking

over the fields.

 

" Superbugs " may also develop as a result of GE crops. This possibility is a

particular concern in the case of the new " plant pesticide " crops that have

been engineered to produce a bacterial toxin as they grow. Monsanto, for

example, has engineered its New Leaf potato to contain Bacillus

thuringiensis or Bt toxin genes. Bt is a pesticide permitted for emergency

use by organic farmers, due to its relatively benign impact on the

environment. As the New Leaf and other Bt crops are widely cultivated,

insects will be increasingly exposed to the toxin and are likely to develop

a tolerance to it very quickly, rendering Bt useless. In February 1999

Greenpeace, along with over 70 other organizations, filed a lawsuit to force

the Environmental Protection Agency to cancel the registration of all Bt

plants and stop approving new registrations for such crops. If successful,

the case will help protect both farmers and the environment.

 

These environmental threats hint at the devastating nature of biological

pollution. Once introduced into the environment, genetically engineered

organisms can interact with other species, and have the potential to cause

irreversible damage. Second only to loss of habitat, " exotic " plant and

animal species introduced into ecosystems in which they did not evolve are

already among the greatest threats to biodiversity. The release of

genetically engineered organisms into the environment is likely to hasten

this loss in diversity, possibly altering the natural balance beyond remedy.

 

Human Health at Risk

 

Regulatory authorities who have allowed the use and distribution of

genetically engineered products, including the FDA, U.S. Department of

Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), rely

solely on safety testing provided by biotechnology companies themselves. To

date, these industry studies have been very limited in scope and duration.

 

Possible health threats from GE foods include an increased risk of allergic

reaction caused by the foreign proteins used as part of the genetic

engineering process. Most engineered foods contain proteins that have never

been tested for their allergenic potential.

 

Another threat is an increased resistance to antibiotics. Biotechnology

companies have continued to use genes for antibiotic resistance as " markers "

to aid in the engineering process, despite warnings from medical experts. As

the cultivation of GE crops increases, important antibiotics could be

rendered useless.

 

Fields of Greed

 

Biotechnology companies would have you believe that the industry is

motivated by such noble goals as bettering the environment, improving human

health and alleviating world hunger. Yet the Union of Concerned Scientists

found that in 93 percent of the cases it studied, the real goal of genetic

food alterations is maximizing profits from industrial-scale food production

and processing. Biotechnology companies like Monsanto and Novartis are

pursuing these technologies to boost sales of their patented crops and

related products, despite the threats posed by these risky genetic

experiments.

 

Let the Buyer Beware

 

The fact that most genetically engineered products are not labeled can

frustrate shoppers who want to buy unadulterated foods. Purchasing certified

organic food as much as possible is the best strategy.

 

When buying conventional, or non-organic produce, it can be hard to tell

what products have been genetically engineered. One strategy is to talk to

your grocer about suppliers' policies regarding genetically engineered

foods.

 

You can also try to avoid those foods that are most commonly subject to

genetic engineering, such as conventional processed foods containing any of

the following ingredients:

 

 

Soy or soy products (about 60% of all processed foods contain soy, most

commonly as soy lecithin, flour or oil).

Corn (including corn syrups, cornstarch and oil).

Canola oil.

You should also scrutinize processed foods that contain potatoes or tomato

products. Write to companies whose products you purchase and ask for their

assurance that they will not use genetically altered ingredients. Dairy

products are also a concern, as cows may have been given growth hormones.

Look for a notice that the dairy is " rBGH (bovine growth hormone) Free, " or

buy organic.

What You Can Do

 

1. Buy organic. Thanks to written comments from over 275,000 outraged

consumers the USDA was recently forced to withdraw a scandalous proposal for

" organic standards " that would have included genetically engineered produce.

This victory means that foods labeled organic will remain free from genetic

engineering.

 

2. In May 1998, a coalition of scientists, health professionals, consumers,

farmers, chefs and religious leaders filed a lawsuit demanding that the FDA

require labeling and safety testing of these experimental foods. Add your

voice to the growing number of individuals demanding labeling of genetically

engineered foods by writing to:

 

Dr. Jane E. Henney, Commissioner

Food and Drug Administration

5600 Fishers Lane, HF-1

Rockville, MD 20857

fax: 301-443-3100

 

Take action to stop GMO's- go to http://www.truefoodnow.org

 

 

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