MAKAN SAFETY

Saturday, June 26, 2010 @ 8:32 PM

Disadvantages of GM wheat

GM Food(Dis.):

• Safety
o Potential human health impacts, including allergens, transfer of antibiotic resistance markers, unknown effects

o Potential environmental impacts, including: unintended transfer of transgenes through cross-pollination, unknown effects on other organisms (e.g., soil microbes), and loss of flora and fauna biodiversity

• Access and Intellectual Property
o Domination of world food production by a few companies

o Increasing dependence on industrialized nations by developing countries

o Biopiracy, or foreign exploitation of natural resources

• Ethics
o Violation of natural organisms' intrinsic values

o Tampering with nature by mixing genes among species

o Objections to consuming animal genes in plants and vice versa

o Stress for animal

• Labeling
o Not mandatory in some countries (e.g., United States)

o Mixing GM crops with non-GM products confounds labeling attempts

• Society
o New advances may be skewed to interests of rich countries

GM Wheat (Dis.):

Environmental Risks of GM Wheat

Like conventional wheat, GM wheat can cross-pollinate with conventional wheat and some weeds—creating, in the case of Roundup Ready wheat—a superweed that cannot be destroyed with herbicide. GM wheat can also contaminate neighboring fields by traveling through the air or with small animals and birds. Conventional and organic wheat can also cross-pollinate or become mixed with GM wheat in the environment or in grain handling system. Once wheat is contaminated, it would be virtually impossible to reclaim.

Agricultural Risks of GM Wheat

A farmer who decides to plant genetically modified seeds must pay a fee and enter into a technology use agreement with the owner of the seeds, giving the farmer license to use the patented technology. Monsanto’s technology use agreement prohibits farmers from saving seeds to replant the next year or selling the seeds to another farmer to plant. The agreement also requires farmers to use specific herbicides in a company directed weed management plan. If the terms of this agreement are violated, Monsanto can impose fines as much as 120 times the technology fee paid by the farmer. This agreement releases Monsanto from liability for damages caused by the crops—leaving farmers liable if their crops contaminate a neighboring field. Monsanto has sued farmers when GM seeds were found in their crops, if the farmer did not plant or buy the seeds.

Health Risks of GM Wheat

For the most part, health risks of GM wheat are uuknown. Since no GM wheat has been released, extensive studies on the affects on human health cannot be completed. Few independant studies of the safety of any GM foods have been done. Unlike other GM grains, such as corn and soybeans, wheat is grown primarily for direct human consumption—not processed into oils or used as livestock feed. Scientists warn that the consumption of GM foods in general might result in new allergies, resistance to antibiotics, inability for the body to absorb vitamins or minerals, and other health problems. Results of studies on animals fed GM foods include: cancerous cell growth, damaged immune systems, atrophy of the liver, inhibited development of their brains and livers, inhibited growth of blood cells, false pregnancies, sterility and mysterious deaths.

The only human health study conducted found that a GM gene inserted into soybeans randomly transferred out of the soybeans and into the DNA of bacteria found in the digestive system. If this gene is allergenic or toxic to the human body its effects could last a lifetime.

WORC. (2004, September). The Problem With Genetically Modified Wheat. Retrieved June 27 2010, from: http://www.worc.org/userfiles/file/Genetically%20Modified%20Wheat.pdf

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