Ricardo Guzman

Direct and Indirect Environmental risks caused by GMOs

II. Indirect Environmental Risk is:

• Alteration of agricultural practices like managing the negative impacts of GMOs on the
environment such as the evolution of insects, pests, and weeds that became resistant to GMO
crops.

Explanation:

- So dito po, yung agriculture is merong alteration kung paano nila ima-manage yung mga
negative impacts ng GMO sa environment. So, gaya sa genetic variations of pests and especially
sa weeds, ay pu-pwedeng magkaroon ng super weeds kapag yung GM herbicides ay may
tolerance na, it can lead to evolution and spread with that no longer be killed by those
herbicides.

• May have impacts on biodiversity caused by the alteration in agricultural practices.

Explanation:

- Dito po is pwedeng magkaroon ng epekto sa biodiversity yung pagbabago natin sa mga

nakasanayan natin sa agriculture. Ang example ko po dito is yung sa pest problem, with the shift
in crop pattern, increase in area under irrigation and higher cropping intensity, the pest problem
has become very severe. The seriousness of pests has further increased by way of indiscriminate
and increased use of pesticides.

• May have varied environmental impacts due to GMOs interaction and release in the natural
environment.

Explanation:

- Firstly, toxicity is a huge issue surrounding chemical pesticides and herbicides, used commonly
with GMOs, in addition to the toxicity inherent to these plants. GMOs may be toxic to non-
target organisms, ang example ko po dito is yung bees and butterflies. Bees and butterflies are
hugely important in pollinating many food crops but are unfortunately extremely endangered by
modern agricultural techniques, such as GM crops.
Human Health Risks caused by GMOs

1. Consumption of GMOs may have adverse effects.

Explanation:

- So kagaya po sa nabanggit kanina, yung mga adverse effects po ng mga GMO sa human, ay ang
pagkakaroon ng obesity, then yung pagkakaroon ng Alzheimer, diabetes or even cancer.

2. Consumption of GMOs may alter the balance of existing microorganisms.

Explanation:

- For example, po is yung yakult. Alam naman po natin na yung yakult has sa good bacteria, so
kapag yung pagkain na kinoconsume ay merong puro good bacteria lang at nawawala yung bad
bacteria or yung microorganisms sa ating katawan, so, ang magiging epekto nito satin ay pwede
tayong magkasakit, kasi yung existing microoganisms sa katawan natin ay nawawala na.

3. Production of toxins may be detrimental to human health.

Explanation:

- So, the production of toxins po may damage the whole cell membrane, and nagca-cause din po
sya ng infection and nadi-disable din po yung immune system natin.

4. Production of allergens may have adverse effects on humans.

Explanation:

- So dito po, may mga pagkain tayong nakakain na kadalasang nakakapag-trigger sa allergies
natin and one of the effects po nito is yung pagkakaroon natin ng lagnat, itchiness or yung
nahihirapan tayo sa paghinga.
Potential risks that raise major concerns are:

1. Human Genome Project (HGP) – Mapping of human genes to provide a framework for research
and studies in the field of medicine. It was feared that the ability to produce human genetic
information would create biases and give much power to people holding the information and to
the disadvantage of those who do not have the genetic information.

Explanation:

- So dito po sa Human Genome Project, their main goal was to develop new, better, and cheaper
tools to identify new genes and to understand their function s. Pero habang tumatagal ang pag-
aaral nila dito ay may nabubuo ding takot, takot na ang kakayahang gumawa ng human genetic
information, will create biases and empower those who hold the information.

2. Mutation of genetically engineered microorganisms – genetically modified bacteria and viruses

may mutate to become more resistant or virulent which may cause more dreadful diseases for
human beings.

Explanation:

- Ang example po nito is yung sa covid19 na nararanasan natin ngayon. So, it is a genetically
modified virus that become more resistant or virulent na nagiging sanhi ng death at pagkalat
nito.

Example:

Cloning

- Is the asexual reproduction of an organism using parent cells through genetic engineering.

Explanation:

- A clone is a genetically identical copy of an organism that may be naturally occurring or created
in the lab. Through the process of asexual reproduction, organisms such as bacteria (and some
plants) create offspring that are genetically identical to the parent. So, the first animal to be
successfully cloned was a sheep named Dolly, who was born in 1997. But later on, Dolly, the first
cloned mammal, died in 2003 and is currently on display at the National Museums of Scotland,
Edinburgh. And with its celebrated success came the fear of human cloning.