Since their first moment on shelves in 1994, the safety of GMOs has been a controversial topic. GMOs or genetically modified organisms are ‘advanced’ organisms created by scientists taking helpful fragments of other species DNA and inserting into the DNA stream of another organism. GMOs have created tomatoes that don't freeze in the winter, and apple that cannot become brown, but at what cost? Citizens have voiced their concerns regarding modifying natural plants and after research overall, it became clear that GMOs are harmful to other organisms. GMOs have been linked to bacterial infections, and very severe consequences like chronic conditions and birth defects, which most likely coincides with the rapidly increasing amount of dangerous …show more content…
The long-term health effects that come with using GMOs conclusively outweigh the few positives.
Majorly, most of the American population believes that the use of GMOs on crops leads to little to no pesticide use. What many people are not aware of is that pesticide usage has actually grown since GMO crops have become more popular. According to information from the ‘Earth's Open Source’, an organization dedicated to stronger crops and better farming methods, the allowed residue limit of glyphosate, the world's top weed killer, has also been increased.
(Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) - Myths and Truths) After a high increase in pesticide and herbicide usage, a substantial decrease in the populations of helpful and beautiful insects such as the Monarch butterfly occurred. Scientists have concluded that this is almost definitely an effect of high pesticide consumption. Another important piece of evidence coinciding with the death of natural resources from GMO crops is a significant rise in SDS or sudden death syndrome. SDS is a disease that inhabits plants and makes them turn yellow and die quicker than they averagely would. The profound increase of sudden death syndrome could lead farmers to lose approximately 10% of their crops each yielding period. (Huffstutter, pg 3) While
In conclusion, GMOs and pesticides are harmful and alarming to producers and consumers. They cause animals pain and harm humans when consumed. Many animals live short and painful lives, while humans now must suffer with long term diseases or damage to their bodies. Although some argue that Genetically modified produce is benefiting producers and consumers, I still argue that genetically modified organisms harm animals and
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
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
This article brings about a vital question to the forefront, are GMOs really safe? The article goes on to dissect all the myths about genetic modification and points out the fact that there has been no strict regulation on the production
In 2011, more than 66 million hectares of GMO plants were grown throughout the world. These plants were “engineered to produce a bacterial toxin lethal to some insects but harmless to people,” (Carrington 1). By altering the plant’s genes, scientists were able to design the plant in a way so it could control the pest population without the need of using as many chemicals in comparison to pesticides. Therefore altering the plant’s genes proves a method for controlling pest populations because it reduces the amount of harmful chemicals that are used. Pesticide use is dangerous to the environment because of the pollution involved. Studies have found that farmers using GMO seeds use 37% less pesticides, and since “these seeds don’t need to spray as much pesticide, which means less pesticide ends up washing off the fields and into streams” (Horowitz 2). Ultimately, pesticide pollution can endanger entire ecosystems and even threaten human lives. By significantly reducing pesticide use, there would be less dangerous chemicals to threaten local environments. As well as reducing pollution, GMO replacement of pesticides helps increase populations of pest predators. Carrington states that GMOs have the “added benefit of looking after the predators that could have been killed by the pesticides” (2). By substituting GMOs for pesticides, which kill more than just the targeted pest, farmers can help
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
Recently, there has been controversy on whether GMOs are favorable, or synthetic and faulty. Although, many are not actually informed properly about what GMOs actually are. A GMO is a genetically modified organism, in which its DNA is taken and implanted into another plant or animal. Filmmaker, Jeremy Seifert, is quite precarious on the subject, considering there is not much we really know about these genes. Jeremy says “I suddenly felt uneasy about the food we were eating,” (Seifert). We are unaware of the health and safety risks that come with the use of these genes on everyday food items. It is evident that there is a mass amount of positives and negatives. However, the powerful weight of the negatives seem to have a larger impact than the positive ideas within it.
Genetically Modified Organisms. Sounds familiar, right? GMOs have become a controversial issue all around the world. What are GMOs exactly? GMOS are special organisms with artificially altered genetic makeup produced in a lab from the splicing of specific genes from another organism. Even its’ description seems overwhelming. What’s worse is the fact that there’s seldom any warning labels for GMOs on products. It isn’t very helpful that the United States does not require GMOs to be labeled on store-bought foods. Most of the time, people are oblivious to the foods they consume and how those foods are a detriment to their health. All the same, I am also a part of the oblivion. I, too have consumed modified foods without any knowledge of its
“We forget that we humans are animals, inextricably connected to the world and everything in it. In the rush to bring GMO food to the world because it was good for us, nobody had asked the question whether it would be good for the world.” ― Kenneth Eade, An Involuntary Spy. “In the year 1988 Scientists inserted genes into soybeans, ultimately creating what would become the most common GMO: glyphosate-tolerant soybeans. Making a crop that was resistant to herbicide made it much easier, and cheaper, for farmers to control weeds while producing high yields. Soon, other GMO seeds were developed — including potato, cotton, rice, sugar beets, sugarcane, and tomatoes — with the intention of making these crops resistant to insects, antibiotics, diseases,
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
GMOs have been claimed to be a possible solution to world hunger, but Urban claims that they have not been proven to produce more plants, efficienty (Urban 2010). If there truly is no increase in efficiency of the production of food through GMOs, then there is no reason in risking human health over unknown effects. Some researchers argue that plants with GMOs require less pesticides which is false according to Urban. He underlined that more likely than not genetically modified organisms are harmful to the environment and people because they require so much use of pesticides and fertilizers which are obviously very harmful to a person’s health (Urban 2010). He expressed that these chemicals are increased in order to produce stronger crops to fight off insects, but that humans should not be eating crops produced by them because they are dangerous for humans as well as the health of the environment (Urban
“Growing GM foods…can help eliminate the application of chemical pesticides and reduce the cost of bringing a crop to market.” (Genetically Modified Foods: Harmful or Helpful?) Every year, farmers lose crops as a result of insects and other pests. These loses require farmers to utilize pesticides when growing crops to ensure production. There have been more and more health risks discovered from the consumption of foods treated with these chemicals.
Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are organisms whose DNA has been modified with another organism’s DNA using different methods of gene splicing. Genetic modification is used on both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Your average citizen knows about genetically modified plants with the purpose of resisting insects, and rot in the hopes of creating more produce that lasts longer. What isn’t commonly known is that according to the Journal of Agrobiotechnology Management and Economics in 2008, Glyphosate-resistant (GR) crops represent more than 80% of the transgenic crops grown annually worldwide.(Duke & Powles 2009) Basically most of the produce we buy has been genetically altered.
GMOs are plants and animals that have been genetically engineered with DNA from bacteria, viruses, and other plants and animals in order to take on specific characteristics. This of course does not occur naturally within nature. They are engineered to withstand herbicide and produce insecticide (Lee). Although crops which are able to withstand herbicide worked very well in the first couple of years, over reliance caused the herbicide resistant crops to pass on their genes to the weeds, and as a result, emerged “super weeds” which forced farmers to increase spraying crops (Clark). Between 1996 and 2008 farmers sprayed an extra 386
Overuse of roundup results in “super weeds”, resistant to herbicide. This is causing farmers to use even more toxic herbicide every year. However, it not only creates this environmental harm. GMOs foods contain higher residues of toxic herbicides which means it has highly possibility been absorbed in to human body by eating GMO food. In addition, how the herbicide directly linked to the human health. Verma (2011) writes, “Several animal studies indicate serious health risks associated with GM food, including infertility, immune problems, accelerated aging, insulin regulation, and changes in major organs and the gastrointestinal system” (p.7). Why those issues had being happened on the human body? And why those issues could directly related to the GMOs food? A very interesting things is the most of farmers would not eat the GMO food, they choose to eat organic food, And 54% said they would choose a conventionally labelled food product and 24% would choose organic if it was available (reporter, 2013). In addition, Herbicides are not