Chanler Wayland

Tyler Barnum
3/25/15
Position Argument
Genetically Modified Food
Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are things that have been
transformed through their genetics by a science called
Biotechnology. GMOs are created to help benefit
society through the foods that we eat. Often times
these desired improvements are traits such increased
vitamins, increased dehydration resistance, and even pest discouraging
traits. It is all too common for GMOs to be seen as a threat. Those who are
uneducated in this field often times think that these man made mutations
will cause mass epidemics and begin to kill off the human population. These
fears are fueled by propaganda made by other uneducated folk, who create
wild, profound, and not entirely true stories. GMOs are not any less safe than
organic food, designed with the good of mankind in mind and created in the
safest settings.
According to the Institute for Responsible Technology GMOs cross
pollinate and their seeds can travel. It is impossible to fully clean up our
contaminated gene pool.(2) The author of this site is stating that the

genetically modified crops cross pollinate with non-genetically modified crops

and that this will not be something that we can control nor
stop. However, when GM crops are first created and tested
they are kept in buildings with no way of escape of pollen
or seeds before they are done being extensively tested.
Also most GMOs are made sterile before they are sent to regular crop fields.
The Institute for Responsible Technology (IRT) also states at the
beginning of this blog The American Academy of Environmental Medicine
(AAEM) urges doctors to prescribe non-GMO diets for all patients. They cite
animal studies showing organ damage, gastrointestinal and immune system
disorders, accelerated aging, and infertility.(2) They then go on to talk about
how another study displayed how GM foods can leave material inside of us
and affect fetuses. With all of the studies that they talk about, they never
really cite where they got that information nor link back to where the reader
could view it.

With the time that I have spent studying biotechnology I have learned
that the genes in GMOs cannot be transferred into the DNA of any bacteria
unless done so by a human. Genes are not just magically
transferred from one organism to another, if this were so,
many of us could breathe under water from eating fish and
even fly from eating ducks. There are also more than
enough studies out there that prove that GMOs are not
responsible for the problems that the IRT is saying that they are causing in
animals.
According to the Monsanto questions and answers page Plants and
crops with GM traits have been tested more than any other cropswith no
credible evidence of harm to humans or animals.(5) The scientists at
Monsanto are human beings just like us with families and people they care
about. They are not about to just create something harmful and put it into
stores. Why would they want to put a harmful product out knowing that it
could get to some of the people that they care about?
On top of this, Monsanto also has to submit their potential products to
the regulatory agencies in the area that they want to sell them in. Here in
the USA we have three regulation agencies that they would have to go
through to put it on the market. These agencies are the FDA, EPA, and CPSC,
all of which take extensive amounts of time to check and test these products.

Of course there is the possibility of crops designed to resist herbicides

pollenating with weeds and creating herbicide resistant weeds. However
these super weeds may appear anyway due to natural evolution. The more
we use herbicides on plants and weeds the more the resistant ones can
prosper. As we kill off the ones that are not resistant to the poisons we simply
create more room for the resistant ones to grow, and in turn causing them to
spread even faster. Just like, the more we use antibiotics the more likely we
are to encounter super bugs.
Those who are against biotechnology and GMOs often times post and
publish articles on single test studies that show profound effects from alleged
GM foods. They use this kind of data to scare
consumers out of wanting GMOs in the market place.
They also hold their studies to a high and
unreasonable standard, which not even non-GMO crops cant stand up to.
Just as Alan McHughen of the University of California says, science can
prove hazards, if they exist, but cannot prove that there are none. This is due
to the high standards set by science. And it is this impossible standard that
some people are demanding; perhaps not always realizing it is not
scientifically valid.(4) These kinds of standards are exactly what anti-GMO
activists use to scare people about GMOs.
GMOs may not be one hundred percent safe for animals and humans.
But they are also no more dangerous than our organic crops. GMOs have
merely been altered by scientists to exhibit desired traits, which is no more

than speeding up the evolutionary process. On top of all of the strict

regulations and the pre-approval process conducted by the regulatory
agencies, we have had GMOs in our society for quite some time now. For
example, human insulin is now made by E-coli bacterium instead of us using
the insulin made from pigs. We have had this kind of insulin in our society
since the 1970s without any kind of profound effects on human health.
The war against GMOs is driven by fear and
lack

of knowledge of the subject. When we see

profound and adverse effects on animals in the
media and then hear the rantings of anti-GMO

activists presenting incomplete data from studies, we begin to fear what may
happen. All too often people will not go any further than what they hear on
the news to research what is truly going on with crazy reports. In the end
GMOs are created safely and reviewed extensively before they are put on the
market. They are safe for human consumption, if not more safe than organic
crops that have been treated with herbicides and insecticides.

Works Cited
(1)Entine, Jon. "The Debate About GMO Safety Is Over, Thanks To A New Trillion-Meal Study."
Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 17 Sept. 2014. Web. 24 Mar. 2015. Website
(2)"Institute for Responsible Technology." - 10 Reasons to Avoid GMOs. N.p., n.d. Web. 23
Mar.2015. Website
(3)"Major U.S. Federal Regulatory Agencies." Major U.S. Federal Regulatory Agencies. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2015. Website
(4)McHughen, Alan. "GM Crops and Foods: What Do Consumers Want to Know?" National
Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 18 Sept. 2013.
Web. 22 Mar. 2015. Website
(5)"Newsroom." Commonly Asked Questions about the Food Safety of GMOs. N.p., n.d. Web. 23
Mar. 2015. Website
(6)Paturel, Amy. "The Truth About GMOs: Are They Safe? What Do We Know?" WebMD.
WebMD, n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2015.