Issue link: https://cp.revolio.com/i/341630
Abby's Magazine - July / August 2014 | Page 13 foreign genes, so engineers attach a trait for a particular type of antibiotic resistance to the gene they introduce into host cells. After they've introduced the gene into the cells, they douse all the cells with the antibiotic to see which ones survive. The surviving cells are antibiotic- resistant, and therefore engineers know they have taken up the foreign gene. Overuse of antibiotics can potentially cause the development of antibiotic-resistant pathogens. Several health organizations, including the World Health Organization and the American Medical Association, have spoken out about the need for the use of these antibiotics to be phased out of the process of making GM foods. 3. Pesticide Exposure The majority of GM crops in cultivation are engineered to contain a gene for pesticide resistance. Most are "Roundup Ready," meaning they can be sprayed with Monsanto's glyphosate herbicide Roundup without being harmed. The idea is that if the crop itself is immune to Roundup, you can spray it to kill any weeds endangering the plant without worrying about harming your crop. Sound like a good thing? Only if increased human exposure to pesticides is a good thing. Glyphosate has been linked to numerous health problems in animal studies, among them birth defects, reproductive damage, cancer and endocrine disruption. The biotech industry claims that herbicide-resistant GM plants should use fewer pesticides and herbicides than conventional crops. But a recent study from Washington State University found that the use of herbicides has actually increased by about 25 percent in all three of the main GM crops. In addition, superweeds have now developed resistance to the herbicides in question. This resistance leads to the need for newer and ever more toxic pesticides and new GM strains, referred to as the "treadmill effect." 4. Unpredictability and the Unknown Foreign genetic material in a host can cause other genetic material in that host to behave erratically. Genes can be suppressed or overexpressed, causing a wide variety of results. One consequence of overexpression, for example, can be cancer. Nutritional problems can also result from the transfer. In one example, cows that ate Roundup Ready soybeans produced milk with more fat in it. In another example, milk from cows injected with a genetically engineered growth hormone was found by a number of researchers, including those published in the journal Lancet, to have substantially higher levels of a compound known as insulin-like growth factor-1, which is linked to human breast, colon and prostate cancers. The milk also has higher levels of bovine growth hormones in it, along with pus and sometimes antibiotics. GM crops have been linked to health problems as diverse as reproductive damage, cancer, Alzheimer's disease and diabetes. Genes and proteins interact with and influence each other. DNA is complex, and we have yet to understand all the potential complex interactions. The potential hazards are difficult to predict and identify immediately. The United States system is set up to deal with problems occurring with GM foods only after they occur, which has happened many times throughout its 18-year lifespan. In her book Safe Food: The Politics of Food Safety, nutritionist and food safety expert Marion Nestle says, "This approach requires neither premarket testing nor labeling; it is based on a standard that requires food manufacturers to demonstrate 'reasonable certainty of no harm.' This standard, which translates as 'safe enough to be acceptable,' leaves plenty of room for subjective opinion and judgment." What if, instead, we invoked the precautionary principle, an international agreement that calls for intelligent caution when it comes to new science and technologies—particularly if those sciences have the potential to impact our entire global food system? Established by an international committee in 1998, the precautionary principle states: "When an activity raises threats of harm to human health or the environment,