THE SOYBEAN RESISTS, BUT DOES THE HUMAN LIFE ALSO RESIST?
Maria Elisa d’Almeida Harger
In Greek mythology, Prometheus is a Titan that had stolen fire from the Gods and was punished by them with an eternal torture. Stuck to a rock, an eagle ate his liver every day. This myth can be easily adapted for our time. The fire refers to knowledge, the technique. By this knowledge, by this technique, the human being can pay a heavy price. This is particulary true in the transgenic topic.
Genetically modified crops (GM crops) are a reality invented to improve agriculture. These seeds were developed to survive sprayed with glyphosate herbicide, which kills weeds. The companies that manufacture this herbicide also produce GM seeds. They are gigantic industries that hold this intellectual property. The rapid growth in the use of GM seeds have led consequently to the increasing use of glyphosate. For 10 years several studies has showed that this herbicide causes serious toxic effects on health and the environment, even in much lower rates than those at which they are used in agriculture, making it a powerful poison.
In 2009 Andrés Carrasco – one of the largest Latin American connoisseurs in embryo development, with international recognition - found that glyphosate causes malformations in frog and chicken embryos at doses far lower than those used in agricultural spraying. These lab findings were compatible with malformations observed in humans exposed to this herbicide during pregnancy (http://www.gmwatch.org/component/content/article/12479-reports-reports). In 2010 Gilles Eric Séralini - a French governmental expert in genetic engineering - published an article proving that glyphosate is toxic for hepatic human cells (http://www.biomedexperts.com/Profile.bme/1279281/Gilles-Eric_Séralini). In this year a group of scientists from the U.S., the U.K., Argentina and Brazil produced together a document reporting the harmful effects from glyphosate in placental, embryonic and endocrine human cells. Prejudicial action like skeletal malformations also were observed in female rats fetuses. (http://www.gmo-free-regions.org/conference2010/press.html). Another risk that also needs be recognized is that from seeds that genetically have been manipulated. This process can cause others mutations and leads to problems in the functioning of other genes, reported others scientists[1],[2] .
GM food advocates say the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has allowed GM food in markets since 1990 and, therefore, GM food is safe. Yes, it is true that GM food has been consumed in the U.S.A. for 20 years; however, the FDA never approved GM food. The FDA considers GM food equivalent to non-GM food. Thus for the FDA, GM food doesn’t require a safety test. The FDA has made a political decision, not a scientic resolution. There is research showing ill effects in laboratory animals fed with GM food, such as cellular changes in the liver and pancreas of mice[3]; disturbances in kidney and heart funcions in rabbits[4]; changes in uterus and ovaries in female rats; and hamsters that lost the ability to reproduce by the third generation[5]. These studies suggest GM food could cause health problems in human beings and also prove that GM food isn’t equivalent to non-GM food, contradicting the “equivalence” claimed by the FDA.
That doesn’t mean to execrate genetic manipulation, which can be helpful in curing diseases, but to take precaution and responsibility when using their findings. We know the companies producing GM seeds invest in research and only put on the market GM seeds and herbicides “that are safe”. But, why don’t theses corporations usually spread their findings? Monsanto was forced to reveal some of its research data per one European court (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MON_853). The safety of GM foods should also be proven by independent researchers, not by research from the companies themselves that manufacture.
GM plants are stronger and mature faster, making farmers want to plant them. Unfortunately, the price of GM seeds in the US has increased dramatically when compared to non-GM seeds. In 25 years, the non-GM soy seeds’ price rose 63 per cent. In contrast, in10 years the GM soy seeds’ price rose 230 per cent (http://www.infomg.ro/web/en/Resources/Scientific_studies/). If a few big companies produce GM seeds, these industries may set high prices for their products and hunger may become a hostage of these companies, being treated as merchandise and used for the purpose of profit. Who ever has power over food, has power over life! This is very critical when using the argument of GM crops to end world hunger.
GM seeds are recommended to eliminate the need for rotation of the ground, protecting the soil against erosion. This is commendable, but it shouldn’t be at the expense of using herbicides such as glyphosate – which isn’t biodegradable and pollutes the soil and water. Glyphosate in contact with soil turns into a more toxic substance called AMPA (aminomethyphosponic acid). AMPA causes genomic instability and has the possibility to develop cancers in humans. (http://www.gmwatch.org/component/content/article/12479-reports-reports).
Being guided by these above described facts it is a mistake to be safe with the idea that the environment and human life will resist against GM crops without negative impact. Science should be used for the benefit of all people, not only for the benefit of companies’ profit. For the final reflection, I’ll use the words of a Viviana Peralta, farmer who lived closely with this issue. She said: “ I do not know about chemistry, I did not go to university, but I know what my whole family has suffered. To people who are not familiar with this model of agriculture, I say: Do not trust these companies. Reject agrochemicals. Do it for the life of your children” (http://gmwatch.eu/índex.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=12486:reports-viviana-peralta-interview).
[1] Latham, J.R. Wilson, A.K., Steinbrecher, R.A. 2006. The mutational consequences of plant transformation. J. of Biomedicine and Biotechnology 2006, 1–7.
[2] Wilson, A.K., Latham, J.R., Steinbrecher, R.A. 2006. Transformation-induced mutations in transgenic plants: Analysis and biosafety implications. Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering Reviews 23, 209–234.
[3] Malatesta, M., Biggiogera, M., Manuali, E., Rocchi. M.B., Baldelli, B., Gazzanelli, G. 2003. Fine structural analysis of pancreatic acinar cell nuclei from mice fed on GM soybean. Eur J Histochem. 47, 385–8.
[4] Tudisco, R., Lombardi, P., Bovera, F., d’Angelo, D., Cutrignelli, M. I., Mastellone, V., Terzi, V., Avallone, L., Infascelli, F. 2006. Genetically modified soya bean in rabbit feeding: detection of DNA fragments and evaluation of metabolic effects by enzymatic analysis. Animal Science 82, 193–199.
[5] Brasil, F.B., Soares, L.L., Faria, T.S., Boaventura, G.T., Sampaio, F.J., Ramos, C.F. 2009. The impact of dietary organic and transgenic soy on the reproductive system of female adult rat. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 292, 587–94.
Argumentative Essay by Petra Heidl
GM Foods: Is it worth the risks?
In former years, the supply of food was one of the most important things, not only because of its nutrition but also its sourcing. Independent of the status of people, eating has always been important for anyone. It provides you with all the vitamins and proteins your body naturally needs. Before industrialization arrived in our lives, food was always organic and was sold and often eaten right after harvest; it is however very different today. Meanwhile, today it has to have a good taste and should be as natural as possible. Food is traveling all over the world and more often is grown with the assistance of fertilizers and is contaminated with pesticides. It is often picked unripe and ripens on its way to the destination. Not only is there a correlation between a good taste and natural origin, but unnatural food is also less nurtitious, meaning that the good taste and healthy ingredients often vanish into thin air on its long journey. We cannot speak of natural food anymore! In addition to this loss of taste and nutrition, new sorts of plants are created in a very artificial way.
In view of the growth of the world´s population, climate change and the decrease of resources, agriculture and also plant breeding are faced with new challenges. Therefore plants are cultivated which can grow under the worst conditions or be produced using new ingredients. Gentechnical methods are playing a big role in that issue. Right now there are plenty of methods being used or in development like insectiscide-building corn and cotton, soy or more starch-building potato and drought-resistant seeds, not to mention all the other at least 90 sorts of plants and fruits on which gentechnology is used or is in progress www.transgen.de/datenbank). Some people declare that, in fact, at first glance, it seems that GM food is the answer to a lot of problems. They can supply developing countries with more food, fruits and vegetables have longer durability, they provide advantages in the quality of soil, they use fewer chemicals on plants and can therefore liberate people in the third world, especially children.
Wouldn´t it be wonderful to prevent all the children from blindness if they could eat the specified rice with more Vitamin A? But on the second sight we cannot ignore the risks of GM foods. Right now the situation is that we don´t know what health problems could occur in eating this rice and what danger could be held in its cultivation. What if the people eating this rice became sick in the worst case? Maybe allergies could errupt in a high amount or even worse, liver or spleen problems could rise . As a study of the University of Piacenza in 2005 ("Assessing the transfer of genetically modified DNA from feed to animal tissue", 2005) showed we can find pieces of gentechnically modified information in the blood and both in the liver and spleen of pigs. And it is not a secret that pigs and humans are physiologically related in the structure and consistency of the flesh and fat tissue. What would happen if these residuals as a result lead to liver or blood diseases? Could we ever face such catastrophies? And who will be charged for those problems? The big companies credit themselves with helping the Third-World countries to prevent hunger - which is of course very magnanimous. Nobody can really say anything against that proposal.
But what would be the price? The people in the third world are happy with the idea of not being hungry anymore, but do they have the choice? No they don´t . We here in the industrial nations maybe have a chance to control what we eat if we buy organic or from a retailer we trust. But they don´t. Some people say that GM Food does not harm anyone. Isn´t it rather the case that we all definitly do not know what long-term risk this GM Food involves? We do not know the consequences in detail for our genes or immune system. Genetically modified food carries a lot of risks and long-term consequences to the health of people and also animals. Health problems could be, for example allergic reactions and reduction of the effectiveness of anitbiotics. The herbicides used on GM crops can cause miscarriages and infertility.
This is a very high risk and it is the responsibility of the companies and also govern-ments to ensure the harmlessness of GM foods. The biggest producers of GM Foods are doing a lot of research regarding the development of new seeds which could be used in the third world countries, which are also countries with a bad climate for agriculture. Or should I say research regarding making more money? It is obvious that the profit will grow instantly as soon as these for example drought-resistant seeds are everywhere on the market. Unfortunately, it is difficult right now to find independent studies because the big companies have the power and the money to create them and then they can decide which study would be published because they financed them. Interestingly there exists a study by Monsanto about its modified corn MON863 in 2005. Within an attempt of feeding rats during the process of approval conducted by Monsanto, some clues to health effects showed up. The animals exposed showed signs of liver and kidney damage as well as differencies in weight gain. The results were released first after Greenpeace forced Monsanto by law to publish this study. To summarize, a German law court in Cologne, Germany had ordered the biotechnology giant Monsanto to make one of it's confidential reports public after the company tried to prevent the dissemination of its own study. The 1000-page document is now viewable on different webpages as a pdf. (http://www.greenpeace.org/)
As a result, we should be very careful developing and using GM foods as long as they have not been proved to be harmless. It remains to be seen if we and, for us, the environmental protection organisations could help to protect us from the problems which could occur. We should be very conscientous and observant of what kind of food we buy. Otherwise we, and eventually all of nature will pay a very high price with our health.
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