50 HARMFUL EFFECTS OF GENETICALLY MODIFIED (GM) FOODS

[Pharaoh]

We are confronted with what is undoubtedly the single most potent technology the world has ever known - more powerful even than atomic energy. Yet it is being released throughout our environment and deployed with superficial or no risk assessments - as if no one needs to worry an iota about its unparalleled powers to harm life as we know it - and for all future generations.

http://www.raw-wisdom.com/50harmful.


Introduction

What is called "biotechnology" is a vital issue that impacts all of us.

Largely between 1997 and 1999, genetically modified (GM) food ingredients suddenly appeared in 2/3rds of all US processed foods. This food alteration was fueled by a single Supreme Court ruling. It allowed, for the first time, the patenting of life forms for commercialization. Since then thousands of applications for experimental genetically-modified (GM) organisms, including quite bizarre GMOs, have been filed with the US Patent Office alone, and many more abroad. Furthermore an economic war broke out to own equity in firms that legally claimed such patent rights or the means to control not only genetically modified organisms but vast reaches of human food supplies. This has been the behind-the-scenes and key factor for some of the largest and rapid agri-chemical firm mergers in history. The merger of Pioneer Hi-Bed and Dupont (1997), Novartis AG and AstraZeneca PLC (2000), plus Dow's merger with Rohm and Haas (2001) are three prominent examples, Few consumers are aware this has been going on and is ever continuing. Yet if you recently ate soya sauce in a Chinese restaurant, munched popcorn in a movie theatre, or indulged in an occasional candy bar - you've undoubtedly ingested this new type of food. You may have, at the time, known exactly how much salt, fat and carbohydrates were in each of these foods because regulations mandate their labeling for dietary purposes. But you would not know if the bulk of these foods, and literally every cell had been genetically altered!

[mike_c]

1. this is just anti-science scare mongering....

This is the sort of thing I expect from the Glen Becks of the world. Utter distrust for things they don't understand.

[Pharaoh]

3. Really?

then educate us please :popcorn:

[mike_c]

4. that, I'm afraid, is not likely....

There are none so blind as the willfully blind, and anti-science zealots are among the worst, IMO.

Convince me that you're genuinely interested in learning other points of view.

[Pharaoh]

5. Sure.....

give me a couple links,

that's all I'm asking

:toast:

[mike_c]

13. just one shot at this....

If you want to discuss this seriously, I'm happy to. I work in the field in a general sense-- I'm an ecologist and entomologist, but I also collaborate with molecular biologists. I'm an ardent conservationist and environmentalist, and an anti-corporatist. I do not work for Monsanto or any of its minions, nor do I support corporate agriculture. Just to be clear from the start.

What I don't want to do is get into a link-bashing fest-- it's an utter waste of ATP.

So here's a couple of links:

http://www.agbioworld.org/biotech-info/articles/biotech-art/defend.html (this article is from the Chronicle of Higher Ed)

http://www.centerforinquiry.net/uploads/attachments/genetic-engineering-ethics_2.pdf

OK, I have a meeting to attend, so I won't be back for at least a couple of hours. I'd be happy to discuss this with you further later, if you're interested in a discussion rather than a polemic match.

[Pharaoh]

18. No Problem Mike....

I do not have time right now for link bashing.

I will check it out later though, right now I have to go eat :party:

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

11. OK.

1. "Recorded Deaths from GM: In 1989, dozens of Americans died and several thousands were afflicted and impaired by a genetically modified version of the food supplement L-tryptophan creating a debilitating ailment known as Eosinophilia myalgia syndrome (EMS) . "

There was a case where people got sick from ODing on tryptophan supplements. And those supplements were traced back to a supplier that produced tryptophan from a GE organism. But the connection between these deaths and GE is inherently dishonest.

It's like saying I'm a turkey farmer and I raise turkeys and slaughter them and extract tryptophan from turkey meat and sell it to some rube who takes to much and dies and therefore turkies are poisonous.

No.

2. "Near-deaths and Food Allergy Reactions: In 1996, Brazil nut genes were spliced into soybeans to provide the added protein methionine and by a company called Pioneer Hi-Bred."

Ah, this is one case were dangers of GM foods might actually be legitimate. An allergen from an organism was tranformed into another. Nobody got sick or died. They caught it thanks to testing. It was a bad idea, it occurred during the early days of this technology, and it's not going to happen again. Thereby eliminating the one legitimate threat of GM foods.

3. "Direct Cancer and Degenerative Disease Links: GH is a protein hormone which, when injected into cows stimulates the pituitary gland in a way that the produces more milk, thus making milk production more profitable for the large dairy corporations."

The milk that comes out of cows that are treated with rBGH is chemically indistinguishable from the milk of cows that are not treated, thus rendering this point moot and all the other "points" which involve the same issue.

4. "Indirect, Non-traceable Effects on Cancer Rates: The twentieth century saw an incremental lowering of infectious disease rates, especially where a single bacteria was overcome by an antibiotic, but a simultaneous rise in systemic, whole body or immune system breakdowns."

This is the argument that people are dying more of Parkinsons and cancer now then they did back when they were dying of typhis and the plague. Goofballs gave away the counterargument to their whole claim. There's no connection between GMOs and cancer or any other "emerging" illness.

5. Superviruses. There are no such things as superviruses. If their were, it wouldn't have anything to do with GMOs. This "point" is actually a counterargument to anti-GMO fears. Genes flow from organism to organism naturally. That's how scientists got the idea in the first place.

"6. Antibiotic Threat Via Milk: Cows injected with rBGH have a much higher level of udder infections."

Then the issue is with antibiotic use, not GMOs.

"7. Antibiotic Threat Via Plants"

Same thing. Over use of antibiotics might be a valid issue, the authors are trying to conflate a real issue with GMOs.

"8. Resurgence of Infectious Diseases"

If natural horizontal gene flow is such a threat, then there's no threat from GMOs.

"9. Increased Food Allergies: The loss of biodiversity in our food supply has grown in parallel with the increase in food allergies."

There's no connection between GMOs and a connection with food allergies. In fact, I don't even think there's an increase in food allergies. The authors certainly don't establish that there is. They apparently just link to a public service announcement on the topic of allergies, and expect people to assume they've linked a valid reference.

"10. Birth Defects and Shorter Life Spans: As we ingest transgenic human/animal products there is no real telling of the impact on human evolution. We know that rBGh in cows causes a rapid increase in birth defects and shorter life spans and the number of calves born with birth defects to dairy cows has increased significantly. "

See points 3 and 6. There is not connection between milk from rBGH cows and human birth defects or shorter life spans.

I could go on, but I've rather soundly proven the point that this article is a load of dishonest fear mongering bullshit.

[Pharaoh]

14. Your argument is irrational

yes, I did read the whole thing, did you :beer:

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

17. Then explain how its irrational.

If you can.

[Joe Chi Minh]

7. A load of old-wives' tales masquerading as science! To be anti-science is bad enough,

but to be anti-Monsanto, the Father of the Poor, is truly shocking.

[tabatha]

2. Pretty comprehensive, with lots of links.

Saved for later.

[Joe Chi Minh]

6. ROFL!

[Pharaoh]

9. :o)

:party:

[Joe Chi Minh]

10. Sorry, I thought it was a sarcastic response to our new-found luminary, mike_c!!!

[Pharaoh]

12. I agree

therefore you got the party guy :party:

[mike_c]

16. so it appears that you really aren't interested in rational discussion....

I should have known. It's an utter waste of breath to discuss this topic with anti-science sorts, so I'll just return to calling out the bullshit without wasting energy arguing with the bullshitters.

[Joe Chi Minh]

20. Ha! Ha! Pass....

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

15. You're a regular scientific luminary yourself there, eh?

Joe Chi Minh- resident DU Creationist.

[Joe Chi Minh]

19. Modesty forbids.. but thank you. Any time you want to publish that, please, please feel free.

You wouldn't know a Creationist from a hole in the ground. Never has mankind been so tragically dim as today, when the brighter atheist scientismificists are forced to believe in the magic of the quantum world, but can't bring themselves to believe in the supernatural; and they believe our cosmos reflects Unintelligent Design.

What's the latest on the flus and vaccines? And frankenfoods?

[midnight]

21. Germany’s Agriculture Minister fights the possible dangers of GMO.

Germany’s move was broadly welcomed by its news media <4>. German Agriculture Minister Ilse Aigner said she had legitimate reasons to believe that MON 810, posed “a danger to the environment,” a position which she said the Environment Ministry also supported. Aigner is taking advantage of a clause in EU law which allows individual countries to impose such bans. The left-wing Frankfurter Rundschau wrote: “Genetically modified corn is a risk to our environment, is totally superfluous in farming, represents industrial agriculture, causes pointless costs to food production in Germany and can even ruin beekeepers.” The left-wing Berliner Zeitung wroes: “The new studies don't show any new risks - they simply prove that the old warning about the risks was justified. It's a scandal that the subsequent ban was even necessary because the farming of genetically modified plants had been permitted without a thorough examination of all the possible dangers.”

Germany, the most populous country in the European Union (EU) ranking fourth in land area, is also its most influential and economically powerful member nation. Monsanto applied for an emergency ruling to overturn the ban to allow for its 2009 planting <5>, saying its ban is arbitrary and goes against EU regulations.http://www.i-sis.org.uk/EuropesUprisingAgainstGMOs.php

[Odin2005]

8. LOLing at the source. You can't fix technophobic stupid.