Effects Of Pesticides On The Health Of An Individual

Professor Richard Lewotin said “An ecosystem, you can always intervene and change something in it, but there is no way of knowing what all the downstream effects will be or how it will affect the environment.” Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) are not healthy and they shouldn’t be put in our food. Our nation does not know the full extent of GMOs. GMOs are used in almost all of our food, and for the most part there are no regulations for these GMOs that food companies are using now a days. They have been used for years without telling us the full background and side effects they could have. As a nation we need to take the right step in learning the facts about them and making our food truly healthy. GMOs should be made illegal due to the fact that studies have shown them to be unsafe and harmful to consume.

We are keeping our food reliable through the use of GMOs. GMOs can provide food that can be helpful for conditions in the world. They can be manufactured to fit to threatening conditions, such as drought. They can also be used to withstand diseases that have the potential to cause famine. Blights can cost millions in damages, and with new resistance technology being tested we could save millions of dolars and millions of crops. "Blight-resistant potatoes would be one of the first major foods genetically engineered to incorporate defenses against plant diseases, which annually destroy some 15 percent of the world’s agricultural harvest." These foods can even be modified to prevent bugs from consuming or ruining a crop yield. This resistance to famine can help us become less concerned about starvation due to unfavorable conditions. The crop yield can remain the same. Those opposed to GMOs may claim that they increase pestacides and harm the environment. This is completely false. "It is a matter of fact that GM crops have drastically cut the use of such pesticides. GM cotton, containing a built in insecticide, uses 50% less chemical insecticides. In 1998 around 1000 tonnes less insecticide was used in the US cotton belt than before the introduction of GM cotton. That insecticide was mainly sprayed from planes. Only a small percentage reached its target. The rest drifted into the wider environment killing

These concerns are about the potential of illnesses GMOs could cause. An article observes, “In the 20-plus years on the market, GMOs have not caused or contributed to a single illness or death” (“GMO Myths Vs. Facts”). There have not been any traces of illnesses after multiple testing of GMO products. Since there are only ten commercially farmed genetically modified crops in the United States, the possibility of people getting a disease from them is rare; especially because three of the crops are mainly for feeding livestock. People have believed multiple problems are linked to GMOs. For instance, “in 2013, the journal food and chemical toxicology retracted a paper linked to herbicide roundup and round up-tolerant GM corn to cancer and premature death in rats… they found researchers had used too few rats… and the results were inconclusive” (Colbert, par. 16). Since the researchers did not have enough evidence, the possibility of the problem being GMOs are

In contrast, the counter argument claims that GMOs are unsafe for human consumption. However, GMOs actually improve human health by reducing the amount of pesticides needed for successful crop production. With the use of GMOs in crop production, the amount of pesticide and herbicide application has decreased. To resume, successful crop production is essential to a farmer’s success, which could be why over 18 million farmers throughout the world utilize GMOs. The successful production of crops can be achieved by genetically modifying crops with resistance against insects, weeds, and other threats. Resistance to different stressors has reduced pesticide applications by 8.1 percent. Additionally, crops that are modified to be resistant to specific

By the year 2012, over 70 percent of the processed foods in the U.S can be linked to genetically modified organisms, or GMOs. Despite this strong dependency on the manipulation of genetic material, there are many questions concerning long-lasting impacts such food could bring. The government of the United States of America should enforce stricter restrictions on the consumption, production, and availability of food products containing genetically modified organisms. Genetically engineered foods have detrimental impacts on the environment, are linked to large, monopolizing industries, and do not reduce world hunger.

The increase in world population and farmable land slowly diminishing has created a global concern about how the world will be able to produce enough food and crops to feed the thriving population. The use of pesticides has become more common as the population thrives, pesticides are used to control pests such as insects, bacteria, fungi, and rodents. Although the EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, makes sure that all pesticides used in food and crops is safe; Environmentalists are concerned about whether these pesticides are overused and will have any negative effect on humans or the environment as time progresses. The solution to the overuse of pesticides and sufficient food became another controversial issue, the use of GMOs on food and crops. GMOs are Genetically modified Organisms or crops that have had their DNA altered or modified through genetic engineering by individuals in the biotechnology field. The process of genetically modifying organisms or crops is done in a lab, one being for example the modification of corn, 85% of corn growth in the United States is genetically modified (Huffington Post, 2014). In reality, much of what we eat everyday in genetically modified in some type of way.

Not only are GMOs harmful to humans they affect many other communities. “GMOs are also responsible for killing off bees, bats, butterflies, and other pollinators, whose bodies are unable to handle the onslaught of altered DNA and chemicals that are characteristic of GMO technologies”(Bensen). This shows that GMO is not only an issue for humans but it directly affects the insect and animals communities around the plants. These are living organisms that these plants need for pollination. GMOs and the pesticides used on these crops to fight off the insects and weeds is creating more powerful weeds and insects called “SuperWeeds” and “SuperBugs.” “And this built-in resistance has allowed farmers to indiscriminately spray chemicals like Roundup on their crops without worrying about killing them. But this system is now failing, as the weeds and pests targeted by GMO technologies have mutated and developed resistance to crop chemicals and Bt toxin” (Benson). These chemicals are effective for a short period of time However these chemicals become ineffective, the offspring of the insects can be immune to the chemical. This creates a need for a new and stronger chemical mix. GMO seeds and destroy the soil and kill beneficial

GMOS have been cluttering many parts of the United States for many years but the issues surrounding them have recently made surface. A GMO is a Genetically Modified Organism. In other words, genetically modified means the materials that make up an organism have been altered and artificially engineered somewhere in a laboratory. Scientists create what can be called the ‘ultimate plant’ which are able to sustain life outside normal conditions that make organic plants susceptible to death. In most all cases GMOS are created to sustain the application of a herbicide or other chemicals. It is a more efficient way to get the most out of what nature gives. Some companies who produce GMOS

Today, most soy and corn grown in the U.S. is Genetically Modified. Soy and corn are also the number one feed for the animals that we eat. Corn also provides the ingredients for most of our sweeteners and cooking oil. Most processed foods sold in the United States have ingredients from genetically modified crops. And yet, “Scientific Studies have not concluded that Genetically Modified foods are safe for the population” (Eating Well. “Should the US ban GMOs?”). The major question that has developed with GMOs is whether or not these modification in the plants we consume is detrimental to our own health. Are we trading higher crop yields for personal health risks? Are we replacing possible starvation with another form of disease or health problem? And, “Should GMOs be allowed in the General Food Supply?”

According to an article in “ebsco”, A 2009 study found that three types of GMO corn that have been approved for human consumption were linked to damage in the kidneys and liver as well as changes to the heart, adrenal, spleen, and blood cells in rats that ate corn just 90 days (Smith 2). Because of this proven study it shows that gmo’s do cause a potential threat to our health and we should stay away from them to prevent anymore damage. But not only does it affect people and animals, but also insects. Supporters of this topic believe that crops can spread DNA to other crops which includes GMOs, they are killing off beneficial insects as more GMOs start to spread into

In almost all of the foods that the average person consumes there reside harmful ingredients and chemicals. Citizens and scientists alike have posed questions and concern about not only what a GMO is, but why the government refuses to pass GMO-labeling laws, while still claiming GMOs harmless characteristics. GMO-containing foods should be labeled to the fullest extent due to the fact that people have the right to know what they are consuming, regardless of what the government and big-box companies have to say about the chemicals and their prospective side effects. By not passing these laws, the government does citizens a huge (and unlawful) disfavor because of the controlled factors of what is labeled and what is consumed. The government

Despite the fear of certain pests and insects, they play a critical role in the environment due to the intricate food chain and pollination process. For example, bees are hugely important in the pollination of many food crops. However, if a GM crop produces an insecticide that kills bees, biodiversity is reduced. Killing a particular pest that harms a crop does not only threaten the existence of it, but it also jeopardizes the food source for certain animals. Biological concepts such as “survival of the fittest” demonstrate how GM crops could ultimately make the ecosystem less diverse. Along with disruption of the food chain, the spread from pollen and interbreeding with natural organisms will “[contaminate] non 'GE' environments and [impact] future generations in an unforeseeable and uncontrollable way” by creating “superweeds” with insecticidal properties or herbicide-resistance (Achenbach). Another environmental drawback of GMOs is that they “require heavy applications of synthetic fertilizers, insecticides, and weed killers--chemicals that can damage the environment” in order to work at peak performance (Anderson). Some Ready Soy fields may require up to 3 coats of Roundup spray per day to accelerate the growth and strengthen endurance against pests. Farmers must consider the environmental drawbacks before deciding to plant GM crop

An objection to this argument is that some environmentalists oppose GMOs, arguing that genetically modified foods have a negative environmental impact, especially for agricultural practices. For example, they contend that the modified genes created by genetic engineering can spread through pollen to other non-GMO plants outside of their intended cultivation area. “If a GMO is herbicide-tolerant,” some environmentalists believe this characteristic can spread to other plants with the possibility of creating “super-weeds” which will be difficult to suppress (Thompson 213). Others argue that widespread use of GMOs can lead to a reduction in the biodiversity of plants and insects. As more and more GMOs are used, the genetic diversity of other similar plants may be lost, as conventional and organic seeds are no longer used for agricultural practices (Gertsberg). It is debated that the “toxins produced to kill insects in GMOs can also kill ‘non-target species,’ which are insects we may not want to kill”, such as monarch butterflies, leading to a loss in biodiversity (Thompson 213). Conversely, overreliance on a single pesticide can lead to the development of resistant “super-bugs” which also hurts the environment.

As a poor child living in Mexico, it has always been a norm to work in the crop fields. Due to the family financial issues, I would apply and take any job that was available during the seasons. Exactly three years ago I experienced an event that changed the course of my life. On April fourth of two thousand and thirteen, I was accepted for a job that paid one of the highest wages in the fields. As a sixteen-year-old working on the strawberry field spraying pesticides on the crops, I was excited to be able to support my family with money and provide food.

Much of the public concern surrounding the safety of GMOs stems from the process of actually creating them. This is admittedly not a natural process, which is a surefire way to raise critic’s eyebrows in doubting their safety. However, there is no evidence that supports these myths. The Committee on Genetically Engineered Crops, The National Academy of Science, and the Board on Agriculture and Natural Recourses all agree after extensive testing and observation that there is no additional harm in the consumption of GMO food. The research conducted in animal studies, as well as chemical analysis of the crops, show no indication that GMOs are negatively affecting human health. The next allegation hurled at GMOs is that they may have