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By now, millions of acres of genetically
engineered crops have been planted, and nearly two-thirds
of the products on our supermarket shelves contain GE ingredients.
But GE foods remain poorly studied; scientists simply can't
say with any authority that they are absolutely safe for human
consumption. In fact, many questions persist.
Essentially, we've been subjected to a
massive experiment on human health. What will the results
of this experiment be? Stay tuned.
1. Very
few studies have been conducted to determine whether genetically
engineered foods are harmful to human health.
Genetic engineering is a young, and in many ways poorly
understood, technology. Many  scientists
believe that genetically engineered foods have been rushed
much too quickly to market--to boost multinationals' profit
margins--before adequate testing has been completed to ensure
public health.
Early in 2001, the Royal Society of Canada-the
nation's foremost scientific body-said there was insufficient
research into the potential allergic effects and toxicity
of genetically engineered foods. GM foods could cause "serious
risks to human health," the society said.
According to the Washington Post,
the "dearth of studies is the legacy of a U.S. policy
that considers gene-altered plants and food to be fundamentally
the same as conventional ones, a policy some Americans are
starting to question....
"And it is the legacy of broken promises
by the Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental
Protection Agency, both of which have said for the past five
years that they intend to write rules to minimize the chances
that gene-altered food will cause allergies or damage the
environment."
2. Genetic
engineering may trigger allergies in people.
Genetic engineering may involve the transfer of new
and unidentified proteins from one food into another, with
the potential of setting off allergic reactions. And allergies
aren't simply a matter of slight discomfort; they can potentially
result in life-threatening anaphylactic shock.
Without labeling, people with allergies
won't know if they are eating foods that contain genes from
other foods to which they are allergic.
In 1996, scientists were stunned to discover
that soybeans engineered to include protein-rich genes from
the Brazil nut also contained the allergenic properties of
the Brazil nut. Animal studies had not revealed the allergenic
nature of  the
mutated soybean. The manufacturer halted the release of the
soybean just in time.
But with dozens of new genetically engineered
crops under consideration, scientists believe much more extensive
testing is required to ensure that those who suffer from allergies
won't be affected by these foods.
Scientists also have discovered that Bacillus
thuringiensis (Bt), a bacterium that has been spliced into
millions of acres of corn, potatoes and cotton, may produce
allergies in people.
Science News reported in July 1999
that a study of Ohio crop pickers and handlers shows that
Bt "can provoke immunological changes indicative of a
developing allergy. With long-term exposure, affected individuals
may develop asthma or other serious allergic reactions."
3. Genetic
engineering may create new toxins harmful to human health.
Scientists say genetic engineering may produce new
toxins, with potentially devastating results for humans. In
at least one case, disaster has already happened.
In 1989, a genetically engineered version
of tryptophan, a dietary supplement, produced toxic contaminants.
Before it was recalled by the Food and Drug Administration,
the mutated tryptophan wreaked havoc. Thirty-seven Americans
died, 1,500 were permanently disabled, and 5,000 became ill
with a blood disorder, eosinophila myalgia syndrome.
4. Genetic
engineering may lead to antibiotic resistance.
Genetic engineers use antibiotic "markers"
in almost every genetically modified organism to indicate
that the organism has been successfully engineered. Scientists
believe these antibiotic markers may contribute to the decreasing
effectiveness of antibiotics against diseases.
5. Genetic
engineering may be linked with a resurgence of infectious
diseases.
The journal Microbial Ecology in Health and Disease
reported in 1998 that commercial gene technology may be behind
a recent resurgence of drug- and antibiotic-resistant infectious
diseases. We'll let Dr. Mae-Wan Ho, author of the report (and
author of Genetic Engineering:  Dream
or Nightmare?), take over from here. She says:
"At the heart of the issue is horizontal
gene transfer - the transfer of genes by vectors such as viruses
and other infectious agents - which is exploited by genetic
engineers to make transgenic organisms. While natural vectors
respect species barriers, the barrage of artificial vectors
made by genetic engineers are designed to cross species barriers,
thus greatly enhancing the potential for creating new viral
and bacterial pathogens, and spreading drug and antibiotic
resistance. Totally unrelated pathogens are showing up with
identical virulence and antibiotic resistance genes.
"Recent statistics are frightening.
Infectious diseases were responsible for one-third of the
52 million deaths from all causes in 1995. Multi-drug resistant
tuberculosis is now estimated to affect 10 million each year
with 3 million deaths. At least 50 new viruses attacking humans
emerged between 1988 and 1996. Between 1986 and 1996, E. coli
0157:H7 infections increased by 10-fold in England and Wales
and 100-fold in Scotland. Vancomycin resistance rose from
3 percent to 95 percent in San Francisco hospitals in the
four years between 1993 and 1997. And Staphyloccocus (toxic
shock syndrome) is now invulnerable to all known antibiotics.
"The first genetic engineers called
for a moratorium in the Asilomar Declaration of 1975, precisely
because they were afraid of inadvertently creating new viral
and bacterial pathogens. The worst case scenario they envisaged
may be taking shape. Commercial pressures led to regulatory
guidelines based largely on untested assumptions, all of which
have been invalidated by recent scientific findings. For example,
biologically "crippled" laboratory strains of bacteria
can often survive in the environment to exchange genes with
other organisms. Genetic material (DNA) released from dead
and living cells, far from being rapidly broken down, actually
persists in the environment and transfers to other organisms.
Naked viral DNA may be more infectious, and have a wider host
range than the virus. Viral DNA resists digestion in the gut
of mice, enters the blood stream to infect white blood cells,
spleen and liver cells, and may even integrate into the mouse
cell genome.
"'We may only be seeing the tip of
the iceberg,' the scientists state. 'There is an urgent need
to tighten existing regulations.' Instead, the EU is relaxing
the guidelines on both deliberate release and contained use
of GMOs. 'That is an irresponsible move in the light of existing
scientific knowledge.'"
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