Hazards of Genetically Engineered
Foods and Crops
Why We Need A Global
Moratorium
by Ronnie Cummins, Organic Consumers
Association
The technology of Genetic Engineering (GE) is the practice of altering or
disrupting the genetic blueprints of living organisms-plants, trees, fish,
animals, humans, and microorganisms. This technology is wielded by transnational
"life science" corporations such as Monsanto and Aventis, who patent these
blueprints, and sell the resulting gene-foods, seeds, or other products for
profit. Life science corporations proclaim that their new products will make
agriculture sustainable, eliminate world hunger, cure disease, and vastly
improve public health. However, these gene engineers have made it clear, through
their business practices and political lobbying, that they intend to use GE to
monopolize the global market for seeds, foods, fiber, and medical
products.
GE is a revolutionary new technology that is still in its early
experimental stages of development. This technology has the power to break down
the natural genetic barriers-not only between species-but between humans,
animals, and plants. Randomly inserting together the genes of non-related
species-utilizing viruses, antibiotic-resistant genes, and bacteria as vectors,
markers, and promoters-permanently alters their genetic codes.
The
gene-altered organisms that are created pass these genetic changes onto their
offspring through heredity. Gene engineers all over the world are now snipping,
inserting, recombining, rearranging, editing, and programming genetic material.
Animal genes and even human genes are randomly inserted into the chromosomes of
plants, fish, and animals, creating heretofore unimaginable transgenic life
forms. For the first time in history, transnational biotechnology corporations
are becoming the architects and "owners" of life.
With little or no
regulatory restraints, labeling requirements, or scientific protocol,
bio-engineers have begun creating hundreds of new GE "Frankenfoods" and crops.
The research is done with little concern for the human and environmental hazards
and the negative socioeconomic impacts on the world's several billion farmers
and rural villagers.
An increasing number of scientists are warning that
current gene-splicing techniques are crude, inexact, and unpredictable-and
therefore inherently dangerous. Yet, pro-biotech governments and regulatory
agencies, led by the US, maintain that GE foods and crops are "substantially
equivalent" to conventional foods, and therefore require neither mandatory
labeling nor pre-market safety-testing.
This Brave New World of
Frankenfoods is frightening. There are currently more than four dozen GE foods
and crops being grown or sold in the US. These foods and crops are widely
dispersed into the food chain and the environment. Over 80 million acres of GE
crops are presently under cultivation in the US, while up to 750,000 dairy cows
are being injected regularly with Monsanto's recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone
(rBGH). Most supermarket processed food items now "test positive" for the
presence of GE ingredients. In addition, several dozen more GE crops are in the
final stages of development and will soon be released into the environment and
sold in the marketplace. The "hidden menu" of these unlabeled GE foods and food
ingredients in the US now includes soybeans, soy oil, corn, potatoes, squash,
canola oil, cottonseed oil, papaya, tomatoes, and dairy products.
GE food and fiber products are inherently
unpredictable and dangerous-for humans, for animals, the
environment, and for the future of sustainable and organic
agriculture. As Dr. Michael Antoniou, a British molecular
scientist points out, gene-splicing has already resulted in the
"unexpected production of toxic substances... in genetically
engineered bacteria, yeast, plants, and animals with the problem
remaining undetected until a major health hazard has arisen". The
hazards of GE foods and crops fall into three categories: human
health hazards, environmental hazards, and socio-economic hazards.
A brief look at the already-proven and likely hazards of GE
products provides a convincing argument
for why we need a
global moratorium on all GE foods and
crops.
Toxins &
Poisons
GE products clearly have the potential to be toxic and a threat to human
health. In 1989, a genetically engineered brand of L-tryptophan, a common
dietary supplement, killed 37 Americans. More than 5,000 others were permanently
disabled or afflicted with a potentially fatal and painful blood disorder,
eosinophilia myalgia syndrome (EMS), before it was recalled by the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA). The manufacturer, Showa Denko, Japan's third largest
chemical company, had for the first time in 1988-89 used GE bacteria to produce
the over-the-counter supplement. It is believed that the bacteria somehow became
contaminated during the recombinant DNA process. Showa Denko has paid out over
$2 billion in damages to EMS victims.
In 1999, front-page stories in the
British press revealed Rowett Institute scientist Dr. Arpad Pusztai's explosive
research findings that GE potatoes are poisonous to mammals. These potatoes were
spliced with DNA from the snowdrop plant and a commonly used viral promoter, the
Cauliflower Mosaic Virus (CaMv). GE snowdrop potatoes were found to be
significantly different in chemical composition from regular potatoes, and when
fed to lab rats, damaged their vital organs and immune systems. The damage to
the rats' stomach linings apparently was a severe viral infection caused by the
CaMv viral promoter apparently giving the rats a severe viral infection. Most
alarming of all, the CaMv viral promoter is spliced into nearly all GE foods and
crops.
Dr. Pusztai's path
breaking research work unfortunately remains incomplete.
Government funding was cut off and he was fired after he spoke to
the media. More and more scientists around the world are warning
that genetic manipulation can increase the levels of natural plant
toxins or allergens in foods (or create entirely new toxins) in
unexpected ways by switching on genes that produce poisons. Since
regulatory agencies do not currently require the kind of thorough
chemical and feeding tests that Dr. Pusztai was conducting,
consumers have now become involuntary guinea pigs in a vast
genetic experiment. Dr. Pusztai warns, "Think of William Tell
shooting an arrow at a target. Now put a blind-fold on the man
doing the shooting and that's the reality of the genetic engineer
doing a gene
insertion".
Increased Cancer
Risks
In 1994, the FDA approved the sale of
Monsanto's controversial rBGH. This GE hormone is injected into
dairy cows to force them to produce more milk. Scientists have
warned that significantly higher levels (400-500% or more) of a
potent chemical hormone, Insulin-Like Growth Factor (IGF-1), in
the milk and dairy products of rBGH injected cows, could pose
serious hazards such as human breast, prostate, and colon cancer.
A number of studies have shown that humans with elevated levels of
IGF-1 in their bodies are much more likely to get cancer. The US
Congressional watchdog agency, the GAO, told the FDA not to
approve rBGH. They argued that injecting the cows with rBGH caused
higher rates of udder infections requiring increased antibiotic
treatment. The increased use of antibiotics poses an unacceptable
risk for public health. In 1998, Monsanto/FDA documents that had
previously been withheld, were released by government scientists
in Canada showing damage to laboratory rats fed dosages of rBGH.
Significant infiltration of rBGH into the prostate of the rats as
well as thyroid cysts indicated potential cancer hazards from the
drug. Subsequently, the government of Canada banned rBGH in early
1999. The European Union (EU) has had a ban in place since 1994.
Although rBGH continues to be injected into 10% of all US dairy
cows, no other industrialized country has legalized its use. The
GATT Codex Alimentarius, a United Nations food standards body, has
refused to
certify that rBGH is
safe.
Food Allergies
In 1996, a major GE food disaster was narrowly averted when Nebraska
researchers learned that a Brazil nut gene spliced into soybeans could induce
potentially fatal allergies in people sensitive to Brazil nuts. Animal tests of
these Brazil nut-spliced soybeans had turned up negative. People with food
allergies (which currently afflicts 8% of all American children), whose symptoms
can range from mild unpleasantness to sudden death, may likely be harmed by
exposure to foreign proteins spliced into common food products. Since humans
have never before eaten most of the foreign proteins now being gene-spliced into
foods, stringent pre-market safety-testing (including long-term animal feeding
and volunteer human feeding studies) is necessary in order to prevent a future
public health disaster.
Mandatory labeling is also necessary so that
those suffering from food allergies can avoid hazardous GE foods and so that
public health officials can trace allergens back to their source when GE-induced
food allergies break out.
In fall 2001, public
interest groups, including Friends of the Earth and the Organic
Consumers Association, revealed that lab tests indicated that an
illegal and likely allergenic variety of GE, Bt-spliced corn
called StarLink, had been detected in Kraft Taco Bell shells, as
well as many other brand name products. The StarLink controversy
generated massive media coverage and resulted in the recall of
hundreds of millions of dollars of food
products and
seeds.
Damage to Food Quality &
Nutrition
A 1999 study by Dr.
Marc Lappe published in the Journal of Medicinal Food found that
concentrations of beneficial phytoestrogen compounds thought to
protect against heart disease and cancer were lower in GE soybeans
than in traditional strains. These and other studies, including
Dr. Pusztai's, indicate that GE food will likely result in foods
lower in quality and nutrition. For example, the milk from cows
injected with rBGH contains higher levels of pus, bacteria, and
fat.
Antibiotic
Resistance
When gene engineers splice a foreign
gene into a plant or microbe, they often link it to another gene,
called an antibiotic resistance marker gene (ARM), that helps
determine if the first gene was successfully spliced into the host
organism. Some researchers warn that these arm genes might
unexpectedly recombine with disease-causing bacteria or microbes
in the environment or in the guts of animals or people who eat GE
food. These new combinations may be contributing to the growing
public health danger of antibiotic resistance-of infections that
cannot be cured with traditional antibiotics, for example new
strains of salmonella, e-coli, campylobacter, and enterococci.
German researchers have found antibiotic resistant bacteria in the
guts of bees feeding on gene-altered rapeseed (canola) plants. EU
authorities are currently considering a ban on all GE foods
containing antibiotic resistant marker
genes.
Increased Pesticide
Residues
Contrary to biotech industry
propaganda, recent studies have found that US farmers growing GE
crops are using just as many toxic pesticides and herbicides as
conventional farmers and in some cases are using more. Crops
genetically engineered to be herbicide-resistant account for
almost 80% of all GE crops planted in 2000. The "benefits" of
these herbicide-resistant crops are that farmers can spray as much
of a particular herbicide on their crops as they want-killing the
weeds without damaging their crop. Scientists estimate that
herbicide-resistant crops planted around the globe will triple the
amount of toxic broad-spectrum herbicides used in agriculture.
These broad-spectrum herbicides are designed to literally kill
everything green. The leaders in biotechnology are the same giant
chemical companies-Monsanto, DuPont, Aventis, and Syngenta (the
merger between Novartis and Astra-Zeneca)-that sell toxic
pesticides. The same companies that create the herbicide resistant
GE plants are also selling the herbicides. The farmers are then
paying for more herbicide treatment from the same companies that
sold them the herbicide resistant
GE seeds.
Genetic Pollution
"Genetic pollution" and collateral damage from GE field crops already have
begun to wreak environmental havoc. Wind, rain, birds, bees, and insect
pollinators have begun carrying genetically-altered pollen into adjoining
fields, polluting the DNA of crops of organic and non-GE farmers. An organic
farm in Texas has been contaminated with genetic drift from GE crops grown on a
nearby farm. EU regulators are considering setting an "allowable limit" for
genetic contamination of non-GE foods, because they don't believe genetic
pollution can be controlled.
Because they
are alive, gene-altered crops are inherently more unpredictable
than chemical pollutants-they can reproduce, migrate, and mutate.
Once released, it is virtually impossible to recall GE organisms
back to the laboratory or the field.
Damage to Beneficial Insects and Soil
Fertility
In 1999, Cornell University
researchers made a startling discovery. They found that pollen
from GE Bt corn was poisonous to Monarch butterflies. The study
adds to a growing body of evidence that GE crops are adversely
affecting a number of beneficial insects, including ladybugs and
lacewings, as well as beneficial soil microorganisms, bees, and
possibly
birds.
Creation of GE "Superweeds" and
"Superpests"
Genetically engineering crops to be
herbicide-resistant or to produce their own pesticide presents
dangerous problems. Pests and weeds will inevitably emerge that
are pesticide or herbicide-resistant, which means that stronger,
more toxic chemicals will be needed to get rid of the pests.
Herbicide resistant "superweeds" are already emerging. GE crops
such as rapeseed (canola) have spread their herbicide-resistance
traits to related weeds such as wild mustard plants. Lab and field
tests also indicate that common plant pests such as cotton
bollworms, living under constant pressure from GE crops, will soon
evolve into "superpests" completely immune to Bt sprays and other
environmentally sustainable biopesticides. This will present a
serious danger for organic and sustainable farmers whose
biological pest management practices will be unable to cope with
increasing numbers of
superpests and
superweeds.
New Viruses and
Pathogens
Gene-splicing will inevitably result
in unanticipated outcomes and dangerous surprises that damage
plants and the environment. Several years ago, researchers
conducting experiments at Michigan State University found that
genetically altering plants to resist viruses can cause the
viruses to mutate into new, more virulent forms. Scientists in
Oregon found that a GE soil microorganism, Klebsiella planticola,
completely killed essential soil nutrients. Environmental
Protection Agency whistle blowers issued similar warnings in 1997
protesting government approval of a GE soil bacterium called
Rhizobium
melitoli.
Genetic
"Bio-Invasion"
By virtue of their
"superior" genes, some GE plants and animals will inevitably run
amok, overpowering wild species in the same way that exotic
species, such as kudzu vine and Dutch elm disease have created
problems when introduced in North America. What will happen to
wild fish and marine species, for example, when scientists release
into the environment carp, salmon, and trout that are twice as
large, and eat twice as much food, as their wild
counterparts?
Socioeconomic
Hazards
The patenting of GE foods and
widespread biotech food production threatens to eliminate farming
as it has been practiced for 12,000 years. GE patents such as the
Terminator Technology will render seeds infertile and force
hundreds of millions of farmers who now save and share their seeds
to purchase evermore-expensive GE seeds and chemical inputs from a
handful of global biotech/seed monopolies. If the trend is not
stopped, the patenting of transgenic plants and food-producing
animals will soon lead to universal "bioserfdom" in which farmers
will lease their plants and animals from biotech conglomerates
such as Monsanto and pay royalties on seeds and offspring. Family
and indigenous farmers will be driven off the land and consumers'
food choices will be dictated by a cartel of transnational
corporations. Rural communities will be devastated. Hundreds of
millions of farmers and agricultural workers worldwide will lose
their
livelihoods.
Ethical Hazards
The genetic engineering and patenting
of animals reduces living beings to the status of manufactured
products. A purely reductionist science, biotechnology reduces all
life to bits of information (genetic code) that can be arranged
and rearranged at whim. Stripped of their integrity and sacred
qualities, animals that are merely objects to their "inventors"
will be treated as such. Currently, hundreds of GE "freak" animals
are awaiting patent approval from the federal government. One can
only wonder, after the wholesale gene altering and patenting of
animals, will GE "designer babies"
be next?
What Can You Do?
Guidelines for Local Grassroots
Action
Campaign Goals: As the
anti-GE campaign in Europe has shown, mass grassroots action is
the key to stopping this technology and moving agriculture in an
organic and sustainable direction. The OCA advocates the following
Food Agenda 2000-2010 as the foundation for our local-to-global
campaign work:
- A Global Moratorium on all
Genetically Engineered Foods and Crops. These products have not
been proven safe for human health and the environment and they
must be taken off the market.
- Stop Factory Farming. Begin the
phase-out of industrial agriculture and factory farming-with a
goal of significantly reducing the use of toxic chemicals and
animal drugs on conventional farms by the year 2010. This
phase-out will include a ban on the most dangerous farm
chemicals and animal feed additives (antibiotics, hormones, and
rendered animal protein) as well as the implementation of
intensive Integrated Pest Management Practices (decrease the use
of toxic pesticides and chemical fertilizers through natural
composting, crop rotation, cover crops, use of beneficial
insects, etc.).
- Convert American Agriculture to at
least 30% organic by the year 2010. We demand government funding
and implementation of transition to organic programs so that at
least 30% of US agriculture is organic by the year 2010-with a
strong emphasis on production for local and regional markets by
small and medium-sized organic
farmers.
Take Action in Your
Community
- Circulate our Food Agenda 2000-2010
petition to identify as many people as possible who support our
campaign. We will include these names in our local databases for
two-way communication and mobilization.
- Help us find retail stores and
co-ops that will circulate our petitions and other materials,
which can all be downloaded from our website.
- Tell your friends and family about
our free electronic newsletter, BioDemocracy News.
- Tune in to our OCA web site for
regular news, updates, and Action Alerts:
www.organicconsumers.org
- Organize forums, protests, and
news-making events.
- Pressure elected public officials,
political candidates, and regulatory agencies both locally and
nationally, to demand either an outright GE moratorium or
comprehensive mandatory labeling, stringent pre-market
safety-testing and long-term liability insurance for all GE food
and fiber products.
- Contact us and support this
campaign by sending a tax-deductible donation and/or volunteer
to help with grass roots organizing:
Organic Consumers
Association -- Organicconsumers.org
6101 Cliff Estate Rd., Little Marais, MN
55614
Activist or
Media Inquiries: (218) 226-4164, Fax: (218) 226-4157
