Running head: GMO HEALTH RISK

GMO Health Risk in America

Ada Benjamin
University of Texas at El Paso
Professor Masoud
RWS 1302: Research and Critical Writing

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GMO Health Risk in America

There has begun to be a craving for things to be done quicker in America. Things ranging
from quick fast drying nail polish, car service, and phone service but food should not be one of
those quick necessities. Food is something that should nourish and replenish the body, not harm
and do damage to it. Recently, this has been the case with factors like fast food but especially
GMOs. Ever notice how big the products sold at stores have become? Or even how cheap they
are to purchase? Have you ever asked yourself, why this may be? GMOs are the answer to those
questions. In recent studies and research, there have been data and information proving that these
chemicals that companies are placing in their products are actually harming the community they
are feeding and causing health risks. The issue of GMOs can be analyzed by comparing two
genres. In Mike Hichiharas Love and Compassionblog titled What are GMOs and Why are They
Harmful to Your Health?(2015), he speaks about the ways in which GMO foods are viewed;
although GMO foods can look more visually appealing, the reality is that GMOs harm our
health, and in J.S. de Vondemois academic journal,Debate on GMOs Health Risks after
Statistical Findings in Regulatory Tests (2010), the research team focused on the methods of
testing for the effects of GMOs, not the actual rumors. These two genres, the blog and the
academic journal, will be analyzed further throughout this paper.
Audience and Purpose
The reason for these health risks may be that, 97% of edible GMOs among cultivated
GMOs (soy, corn and oilseed rape or canola, excluding cotton) are grown in South and North
America, where GMOs are not labeled. (de Vondemois, 2010). The fact that goods are not
labeled already brings up a red flag of concern. Imagine if someone is allergic to nickel and the

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jewelry they buy does not tell them whether or not the good is Nickel Free. As a result, that
person can get hives, bumps;has redness or any other health concern. It is the same thing for
GMO labeling; it is a simple courtesy from the company to inform their consumer that the
product obtains GMOs. Someone could eat that and become seriously affected or even worse, die
from it as a side effect. In researching the effects of GMOs, two genres of choice came to mind.
The use of imagery and an academic journal are used to clarify such an important topic.
In Mike Hichiharas (2015)blog image, there is a unique approach to the way GMOs are
typically thought of. Because this genre is a blog, we can expect the target audience to include
people who already follow the blog, and people with casual interest in GMO health.This genre
might be involved with specific discourse communities like healthy eaters, those that are
disciplined and/or focused on their overall health and fitness or even those that consider
themselves to be 100% natural. For that reason, this genres purpose is to inform those
individuals, who do not fully understand that the productthey consume on a daily basis may harm
them or stray them away from the goals they are trying to pursue.
As for de Vondemois(2010) academicjournal, he is able to deeply go into detail about
the effects, side effect and definition of genetically modified organisms with the tests that were
done. Other researchers can view this journal to help them further their own studies; or people
who seek scientific credibility would read and comprehend the information because there is
proof and statistics behind the data that was given.In de Vondemois academic journal, him along
with other researchersconducted studies on lab rats by feeding them with genetically modified
goods. The effects of the rats varied but there was no good health outcome. The purpose was to
conduct an extensive study on the short term effects that GMOs have on lab rats and also

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highlight the possible long term effects so that the audience may make more educated decisions
when it comes to their diet.
Rhetorical Issues
In Aristotles rhetorical appeals, he highlights the emotion, credibility, and logistics
behind why people are or can be persuaded. In both the genres, these rhetorical appeals are used
to both grasp the attention of the audience and also to persuade them, in their own manner, to
start their journey with not using GMO goods.
Pathos
Pathos represents the appeal to emotions to the audience. On Mike Hichiharas blog
image, there is a unique approach to the way GMOs are typically thought of. As stated before in
the definition of GMOs, they are genetically modified which means they are plumped but
nowhere in the image does it showcase this. In the image used in the blog the reader is greeted
with an image of an apple cut in half, with the inside core replaced with an electronic circuit
board and a USB plugged into the apple.By showing the apple cut in half, the implication is that
it has been modified from its original state. The USB in the core of the apple can be symbolic of
how companies who fill up their product with GMOs are retrieving data. Data meaning, that
the companies are able to retrieve funds/money by giving the consumer exactly what they want
with no care in the world as to what will happen to their customers. This is like injecting a virus.
The image uses the metaphor of computers and software, or even a machine, to make a
comparison to how blind major companies can be and how money can be the motive. Although
the apples outside appearance might seem normal, the inside is not what you think. Using
picture or imagery as a genre, allows the audience to create their own ideas about a topic.

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Emotionally, this image of the apple is conveyed to the audience as them being misled
and can leave them feeling confused. Not so confused about the image itself, but rather confused
as to why they may have not been properly informed on the severity of what GMOs are and can
do to those that partake in them regularly. The first question that comes to mind when looking at
a software filled apple, is why? Then once the audience reads the blog the question becomes,
why are my goods not being labeled with either having or not having GMOs? Curiosity becomes
the main emotion that is felt.In de Vondemois journal, the curiosity that was created by the
image is then answered with the description and proper information from this researcher. The
reader is able to feel a sense of relief in knowing that there is something being done about the
issue of labeling GMOs, also they are able to feel frustrated after finding out the effects GMOs
were having on the rats that were being tested. Frustrated because, they are consuming these
companies products in hopes of them living in a health manner, but in reality are being lied to
and feel a loss of trust in the companies who have injected their meats, fruits or vegetables and
sole them to the public falsely advertising what was actually in them.

Ethos
In the academic journal, the studies were conducted 15 years after the first commercial
release of what we now know to be a GMO. The paper implies that previous studies did not
conduct systematical tests and therefore provide the first results of regulated systematical tests
on lab rats. The tests used GM corn, soy, and wheat. These foods are genetically modified to
not only tolerate but produce rootworms, insecticides, and herbicides as the crop grows.
Therefore it is stating that the consumers are actually ingesting these chemicals regardless if the

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food is washed. The chemicals in question are situated within the genetic structure of the actual
crops DNA and therefore they call for action to produce tests on the long term effects of
GMOs instead of the short term effects. This shows credibility because it allows the reader to
understand that actual process at which the study was conducted. Also the further information
behind why GMOs are bad for the body. It also further extends the credibility by the journal
being written by multiple researchers in this respective field.
With the image however, there is not this much credibility when referring to simply the
picture alone. The artistry is very creative, but that would not be enough to keep a readers
attention if they are seeking valuable sources. The blog that the image is located on has some
sort of valuable reference for a person because it is a health based blog. Bloggers who are well
informed about the topic get on for their readers to re-read and share to the public about a quick
summary of what GMOs are and do to its consumers.
Logos
The paper provides a table of how current tests are conducted and compares their
regulated testing system with past ones. For example, it shows that for past tests, which focus
mainly only on kidney and liver health, the gender of the rats was not accounted for. Also, it
shows that the number of reference or control groups was extremely large compared to the
number of animals being studied. We may deduce from this paper that past tests were not
conducted thoroughly or professionally due to the bias of the company conducting the tests. In
other words, the same company that produces GMOs is conducting the tests and reporting only
some of their results. So why should we believe them? For example, the infamous GMO
company Monsanto, conducted a study on GM corn MON 863 and MON 810 prior to this

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study with general results labeling GM corn as safe, yet the tests were not regulated by
professionals or appropriately conducted. It is also stated that some information was not
originally reported by Monsanto such as rats exhibiting signs of chronic progressive
nephropathy. As a result of all this, this paper calls for the promotion of transparent,
independent, and reproducible health studies for commercial GMOs.
On the other hand, in Mike Hichiharasblog the logic of the image is that there is none.
There are no references of facts and statistics to back up the information about GMOs like the
academic journal did for its readers.
Structure and Delivery
In regards to the structure of the academic journal, the paper focused primarily on
conducting regulated tests on GMOs. It brought up the deficiency of controlled elements in past
examinations and also mentioned the lack of reporting past results that could result in proving
that GMOs are bad for our health. The read is very long but very text book. Almost like
chapters within a book, there are topics in which the reader can learn specifically about what
the title is inferring, much like this paper. As the reader, it is very easy for them go directly to
the information that they want to receive. It is very helpful for other researchers or those doing
studies on the topic to get reasonable information for citation and explanation as to why, how or
what goes on with the subject at hand, in our case: GMOs. For the image, the use of color and
symbols are what keeps the readers attention. We can see that they are colors promoting
technology, hence implying the man-made or unnatural essence of GMOs. In the image, the
contrast colors of red and green were being used to keep the audiences attention long enough
to become curious about the subject of GMOs.

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Conclusion
When trying to understand the use of genres, it is best to first be aware of who and why
you are speaking to them. The best thing to ask however, is which way is the best way to teach
this. Each genre gives a different view point of the same topic. In the matter of genetically
modified organisms, scientific and academic journals are the best genre choices to use when
trying to educate the audience. An image on the other hand, goes further by allowing the
audience or reader to create its own opinions and understandings of what the topic is.After
analyzing both genres, Mike Hichiharas blog is better than de Vondemois journal because its
more effective at informing its audience on the subject of GMOs. With genre selection it is
wise to be as creative and unique as possible because it is what will get your audience to agree
with what you are saying or allow them to fully understand the information you, as the author,
are trying to convey. Genetically Modified organisms is a subject that most would rather stay
away from, but if given to its readers properly, the world would be more open minded on not
only GMOs, but any other topic of interest.

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REFERENCES
Vendmois, J. S. (2010). Debate on GMOs Health Risks after Statistical Findings in Regulatory
Tests. International Journal of Biological Sciences, 590-598.
Hichihara, M. (2015, June 10). What are GMOs and Why are They Harmful to Your Health?
Retrieved September 15, 2016, from http://www.loveandcompassion.com/blog/
2015/06/10/what-are-gmos-and-why-are-they-harmful-to-your-health/