April 27, 2013
- Long term toxicity of a Roundup herbicide and a Roundup-tolerant genetically modified maize
- Why genetically engineered food is dangerous: New report by genetic engineers
- The Union of Concerned Scientists about GMO
- Concerns Expressed by Government Scientists about GMOs
- Dangers of Genetically Engineered Foods
- GMO Harms and Dangers
Nature is a living organism that functions through every cell and organ that is working together. There is nothing isolated in nature and everything is connected with one another. All these years science has been trying to discover and explore complexity that exists in nature. However even the most advanced 3D engineering modeling and analysis cannot fully understand all the parameters and complexity that exists within the universe and sometimes the results aren’t even half close to reality. Although technology, industrialization and innovation have been revolutionary in human’s life at the same time they have resulted in dysfunction, scarcity and even destruction of our planet. In the last few decades one of the crises that our planet have been facing is modern agricultural. Extensive farming, use of pesticides, herbicides, chemical fertilizers, genetically modified foods or crops and invention of hormones and antibiotic that are fed to our livestock have drastically changed everything.
Only 3% of US farm lands are planted with fruits and vegetables while 50% of farms are used for planting soy and corn. Even farmers treat what they plant as a commodity rather than food. With the anti-GMO labeling policies in America there is no way that you would know what you buy in grocery store isn’t genetically modified. Even if you only buy organic how could you know that the original seeds weren’t genetically modified? Yes the farmer might have used good soil and not pesticides or chemicals to grow your favorite tomatoes, but there is no way that anyone would know where the actual seeds came from.
In the last three decades industrialized agriculture, biotechnology and extensive use of pesticides, herbicides and chemical fertilizers have resulted in a weak soil, mineral & nutrition deficiencies in soil, weak immune system in human beings and animals, new diseases, viruses & global warming.
Environmental & Health Impact of GMO Seeds and Crops
Studies and research shows that soil microorganisms are very essential for soil fertility. Over 100 million microorganism and over 1000 species live in one gram of productive soil. Without these microorganisms that include fungi, bacteria, algae and insects, plants wouldn’t obtain the essential nutrition for growth. There was a huge change in US agriculture as the result of medical research on antibiotics, pesticides and synthetic chemicals during World War II. Use of pesticides, herbicides and fungicides started killing fungi, weeds and useful insects in the soil. Excessive use of hormones and antibiotics also resulted in antibiotic resistant diseases in animals and people. Our soil and livestock were doing fine until genetic engineering was invented. In genetic engineering a number of different genes are inserted into the recipient organism. At the same time chemicals & pesticides are sprayed on GMO crops which that potentially results in destruction of most of insets and living microorganisms in the soil.
These engineering crops could also contaminate wild plants with new genes and that could result in production of widely spread viruses. GMO crops could be a danger to flies, insects, birds and other animals. GMO crops could also be a threat for crop diversity. These GMO crops over time become resistant to herbicides or pest control products so stronger herbicides or pest control products will be needed. As stronger herbicides or pest control products are used there would a possibility for a more evolved version of viruses.
Here are actual cases of GMO’s harm to humans and livestock (that we eat):
1. There have been numerous cases where animals have died or became serious ill and were put down in order to avoid mass contamination or to calm down the panic that would have caused even more damage to the food industry. In Hesse, Germany many cows died suddenly when they were fed with Syngenta’s genetically engineered maize cow food and as a result of this incident the authorities in Germany decided to slaughter the rest of the cows to avoid having the mysterious disease to get out and contaminate other cattle houses. Syngenta did admit that the protein used for the cow food maize is also used for human genetically engineered foods. Oh dear, why has Syngenta now withdrawn this protein from human genetically engineered foods? Let’s ask FDA.
- Syngenta Charged for Covering up Livestock Deaths from GM Corn
- Doctors Warn: Avoid Genetically Modified Food
2. Why should you be concerned that cows eating GMO foods died and/or got contaminated with a mysterious disease? Because, if you eat meat or chicken that is contaminated as a result of a GMO with re-engineered DNA that is contaminated with a pathogen, then the DNA genes contaminate your cells and are also harmful to you. These DNA genes can be INSERTED into your own genes.
- Genetically Engineered Food Alters Our Digestive Systems
- Assessing Survival of Transgenic Plant DNA in the Human Gastrointestinal Tract
- DNA from GE foods can end up in your genes
3. Roundup Ready Soy was given to mother rats as food during a study and it was discovered that 53% of the babies born died within a couple of weeks, about 10 times worse than normal. The biochemical form and structure of rats are very similar to human which is why they are used so often for studies to protect humans against various diseases. So the study should be of a major concern to FDA and other authorities that are concerned with health impediments of GMO’s. What should be even more concerning to FDA is that the GMO soy beans given to these rats caused serious disturbances to the liver by changing the cellular function of the liver and the cell nucleus, which may cause serious changes to the way our body operates at the biological level. Who knows how far this may go – may be in a few years of nucleus changes, men will even get pregnant since some already are growing breasts due to consumption of hormones.
- Mother Rats Fed Genetically Modified Soy Led to 56% Mortality of Offspring
- Biological Effects of Transgenic Maize Fed Long Term to Mice
- Genetically Modified Soy Linked to Sterility, Infant Mortality
4. If you don’t eat beef or don’t much care about rats, then do you like lamb? When was the last time you had lamb kobabs or lamps cutlets? Nearly 2,000 sheep have died after grazing on GMO cotton crops and were found to have server toxicity and inflammation of intestines and the same toxin exists in GMO foods intended for future release to people, starting in Asia and Africa.
- Mortality in Sheep Flocks after Grazing on Bt Cotton FieldsWarangal District, Andhra Pradesh” Report of the Preliminary Assessment, April 2006
5. In United States gastrointestinal diseases (chronic and acute) have increased dramatically since mid 90s and this has been linked to GMO foods given to sheep. In Sweden, where no GMO foods are allowed for humans or cattle, there has been no change whatsoever. Scientists are still researching the inflammation causes to the intestine and the study will take another 2 years to complete, while GMO foods are still being given to sheep in US.
- Liver Damage Caused by GM Food
- How Genetically Modified Foods Lead to Inflammatory Bowel Disease
6. In UK, GMO soy was put through a thorough test on a group of students at Sheffield University, half on GMO soy and the other on non-GMO soy and the research was conducted with all other parameters being equal, e.g. water consumption, diet size, environmental factors, etc. By the end of the research the GMO soy fed subjects were experiencing some allergies with 50% of them experiencing long term allergies – compared to no GMO soy fed subjects. 7. In laboratory tests, again and again, animals avoided GMO foods compared to non-GMO equivalent. Should we trust the instincts of animals that live based on their instincts? 8. Argentina has been one of the first countries to convert half of their arable land to GMO food production and are now the country with a major serious agricultural nightmare which has resulted in more than 20,000 farmers losing their land and livelihoods to superweeds that have destroyed the soil and is now a major agricultural crises in the world.
In India every 30 minutes, one farmer commits suicide because of devastating side effects of genetically modified organisms. 9. Scientists and Genetic Engineers themselves (if not coerced nor threatened with unemployment – or worse) tell us that GMO as used in crop development is not precise or predictable and has not been shown to be safe. The technique can result in the unexpected production of toxins or allergens in food that are unlikely to be spotted in current regulatory checks.
- Why genetically engineered food is dangerous: New report by genetic engineers
- The Union of Concerned Scientists about GMO - Concerns Expressed by Government Scientists about GMOs
- Dangers of Genetically Engineered Foods
10. The scariest of them all – the authorities (FDA and others) as well as food corporations protest profusely to any kind of labeling of GMO foods. I don’t know about you, but that certainly concerns me that they would be so adamantly against labeling and so vehemently fighting against it – as if they have nothing better to do. Why are they so much against it? What is wrong with labeling or essentially saying, “… some foods are GMO and we (FDA) as well as our partners (Food Companies) don’t think there is anything wrong with them, but for the informed consumers’ choice and for fairness, we decided to include it in the labeling”. The fact that they assume that they know best and that they are the informed, logical, and trustworthy entity and us the people, who want labeling, are ignorant, fearful, and paranoid – tells me that they are hiding something. Why not be open and truthful and let people decide if they want GMO in their food or not? In a free country, should we not have the choice to eat GMO-free foods if we want?
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