Genetically modified foods helpful or harmful?Genetically Modified Organisms are one of the most controversial issues facing our world today. GMOs are foods produced from organisms that have had specific changes introduced into their DNA using the methods of genetic engineering for improvement of productivity and product quality. GMOs have raised concerns over whether or not there beneficial or harmful to our health. It is not secret that GMO foods have had a dramatic impact on the world and humans deserve to know how they are not all that they appear to be. GMOs pose a serious threat to our health, lead to serious destruction of the environment and have contaminated organic crops. On ...view middle of the document...
A study by the American Academy of Environmental Medicine advised precaution because GM foods have not been tested for human consumption and because there is significant evidence of probable harm (AAME, 2009). The harmful effects that have been raised up to now are that GMOs can cause food allergy reactions, indirect and non-traceble effects on cancer rate, unknown effects on human health and malfunction of the immune system. Several studies bear testimony to the dangerousness. For instance, according to the study conducted by Dr. Árpád Pusztai at the Rowett Research Institute in 1998, the result of his research showed feeding GM potatoes to rat led them to malfunction of immune systems (Arpad, 1998). Other research discovered by New Scientist at Purdue University, showed that releasing a transgenic fish to the wild could damage native population even to the point of extinction (Chris, 2000). Therefore, it is evident that GM foods are harmful to our health.Gm crops have destroyed our environment and organic farming industry impossible by contaminating organic foods. Advocates of GMO assert that GM crops possessed harmful insect resistance and herbicide resistance pesticides that are used to helps to reduce the environmental contamination. However, the resistance genes injected to the crops could easily spread to the ecological system. Consequently, the change has resulted in being caught in a vicious circle due to the birth of super weeds and super insect by spreading the genes to them. Also, the emergence of a mutation by biotechnology has altered the ecology and gives rises to destruction natural restoration. The U.S Environmental Protection Agency regulates pesticides. They said that GMO crops often have posed serious risks to the ecology because the crops which contained plant incorporated pesticides killed useful insects and produced the toxin by the plant as it grows. Also, the EPA evaluates risks to human health, non-target organisms, and the environment by pesticides. Even worse, it is impossible to abolish GM crops like it is impossible to dispose of nuclear waste from a nuclear generator. Restoration ecology plays an important role in organic farming. GM crops have a disastrous effect on organic farming, especially in light of the most important parts of organic crops is keeping its cleanness and lacking of pollution. However, seeds of GM plants are carried by wind and contaminate the natural plants. According to a research study conducted in Hokkaido, Japan, it cannot prevent GMO Cross-contamination to set up buffer zones between GMO farming and organic farming. GMO pollution caused by pollen drift is spreading in GM crops cultivation areas such as the USA and in Canada. GMO contamination will occur once GM crops are cultivated. Therefore, the co-existence between GMO farming and conventional farming or organic farming is very difficult (Keisuke, 2008). Another example is BBC News reported the result of a study conduc...
