Running Head GMO

Genetically Modified Organisms Jessica Taggart Salt Lake Community College December 3, 2013

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In little more than 15 years, Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) have taken over North America. North America doesnt label GMOs, and they grow 94% of GMO soy and 88% GMO corn crops(Dupont,2013,p.2). There are 64 countries that label GMO food. What do they know about GMOs that America has turned a blind eye to? One county that labels GMO food is Scotland. The Scottish government states that They are opposed to the cultivation of GM crops. The cultivation of GM crops could damage Scotland's rich environment and would threaten our reputation for producing high quality and natural foods (Scottish, 2013). The Scottish government is on the right track when it comes to GMO food because they want to keep their food natural. When GMO crops start coming into Scotland, they will not have the natural seeds that are good for you. GMO seeds have been scientifically engineered so when bugs start eating the crops their stomachs explode from the inside out and farmers cannot use the seeds from the crops for the next year because they are sterile. If GMOs are in the crops that make our food then we are eating it too. So why are Americans eating GMO food? GMOs are a detrimental issue in the U.S. because we do not know all the health risks associated with them and how they will affect our future and environment. Instead, the American people should demand more testing to find out what it is doing to our health and Americans need to have the government label GMO products. The first problem is GMOs could have many health risks. We are potentially harming our bodies by not knowing what we are putting in them. Many Americans would be surprised to know that the majority of the food in the grocery store contains GMO. With Americans not knowing what

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they are putting in their bodies, Monsanto, one of the biggest companies that sell the GMO seeds is able to keep selling dangerous seeds. Researchers have done some tests on lab rats and Monsanto still says GMO seeds can be consumed without health risks. When rats were test for 90 days they started to develop some health problems. The hearts of the male rats had increased in weight by 11% and the female rats had a 40% increase in plasmatic triglycerides (part of your cholesterol). Monsanto only considered the diseases that were related to both sexes, whereas, they should have taken account the cancers that affect men and women differently. Researchers say Monsanto highlighted anatomic signs of chronic progressive nephropathy on GMO-fed male rats' kidneys; however, Monsanto did not see these signs as being noteworthy due to the fact that, according to them, they were well known to occur in old Sprague-Dawley rats( Vendmois, Et al,2010, p. 31 ). The problem with this is the rats were only 5 months old. Many debates have been held concerning how more testing may help show the health and safety risks of GMO food. No tests have been done on humans to see the exact side effects that GMOs could have on them but, many allergies and health problems have come around since GMOs have come out. There have been links to the health of people with GMO crops and food, in the Philippines approximately five villages fell ill when a neighboring GM corn field was being pollinated. When allergy test are done on people the people that were allergy tested with GMO soy had an allergic reaction but the people who were pricked with natural wild grown soy had no side effects. GMOs have even been linked to autism and digestive problems as well. Americans could be eating food that could give them cancers, allergies, food that doesnt have good nutrition, and it could be toxic ( Kuzma, 2012, p. 4). If Americans demanded testing then they will see how GMOs will affect their future and the environment.

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The second problem is the American people need to learn more about GMO because they need to know how it will affect the future and the environment. GMO food is going to affect the American people with cancer, allergies, infertility, heart problems, and many other health problems. If Americans continue to have problems with their health it will affect their future and how long they will live. GMOs have already had an effect on bees. Brit Amos who wrote an article for Global Research, a non-profit organization that informs people about environmental and socials issues, tells us that, the bee population has drastically decreased because the bees pollinate GMO seeds and die because they are getting sick (Amos, 2008, p. 14). If the bee population goes down then some of the food that the American people eat will not be available or it will become very expensive because there is not very much of it, so then the cost of living goes up. If the cost of living goes up then the possibility of more people living in poverty in the future goes up. Because the American people do not know all the health risks of GMO food, then they do not know the effect it will have on their future. One of the biggest things that could affect the future is that GMO could make Americans sterile. People could no longer have children because they eat GMO food. More than 20 farmers in North America report that pigs fed GM corn varieties had low conception rates, false pregnancies or gave birth to bags of water (Smith, p. 8). Animals are having issues with fertility after eating GMOs that could happen to the people that eat GMO food as well. The more the American people learn about GMOs the better off the future will be. One solution to stopping GMOs from hurting the American people is to increase the amount of testing. If testing on GMOs would increase then Americans would better understand the health risks associated with them. Tests that are done on GMOs will need to be done by researchers other than Monsanto. Americans need to have a third party test the GMOs and see what is

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happening to the test subjects. The tests need to be longer than 90 days and they need to be done on more than just rats. The tests also need to be better put together and more thought out. They need to test every kind of GMO and have the test be unbiased ( Vendmois, Et al,2010, p.4). After the tests have been done the researchers that have done the tests need to make it nationally known. The possible outcomes of getting these test done is the American people would be able to tell the government how they feel about GMO. The American people would be able to better their health, future and the environment because they know about GMOs. The American people have a right to be heard about what they will and will not put in their bodies. These tests will help them better understand what is being put in their bodies. But how will Americans know to ask for more tests if they dont know about GMOs. That brings us to solution two, getting Americans to know more about GMOs. Solution two is teaching the American people about GMOs. There is a non-profit organization that is called the Non-GMO Project they want to get more people to know about GMO. They want Americans to know what they are putting in their bodies and what GMOs are doing to them, the future, and the environment. If more people started becoming aware of GMOs and the affects that they have, then they could go and tell more people about them and then it would just magnify how many people know about GMOs. The best way for someone to want to learn more about GMOs is if the government required the food companies label the food that has GMOs in them. If labeling started then more people would be curious about what the little stamp on their food meant that said NON-GMO. Possible outcomes for using this solution is the American people would proceed to look up GMO and realize what GMO is and want to learn more. When the American people learn more then they will want to stop GMO crops and that would save

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their health, future, and environment. Knowledge is power when the American people start learning about GMOs. Both of the solutions will have a huge impact on the American people, but if Americans do not have the knowledge they will not know to ask for more tests. So the government needs to require food companies to start labeling foods that have GMO in them. Once people start seeing the NON-GMO labels on their food they will be curious about what it is. Once more people start learning what that label means then there could be rallies, petitions, social coverage, and campaigns against GMOs. Some states have started to put together bills to start labeling GMO because people have started to learn more about them through various sources. If more states start labeling then more American people will learn about GMO and will ask to have more testing done on the GMO crops and food. America will then be one of the countries that labels GMO food and people will be more aware of what is going on with the food they eat and the food they feed their children. Then the American people will be able to make better lives for themselves, the future, and the environment.

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References

Amos, B. (2008). Death of the Bees. Genetically Modified Crops and the Decline of Bee Colonies in North America. Retrieved from http://www.globalresearch.ca/death-of-the-beesgenetically-modified-crops-and-the-decline-of-bee-colonies-in-north-america Smith, J., 65 Health Risks of GM Food. Retrieved from http://www.responsibletechnology.org/gmodangers/65-health-risks/1notes

Kuzma, J., Haase, R., Humphrey School of Public Affairs; University of Minnesota, (2012). Safety Assessment of Genetically Engineered Foods: US Policy & Current Science. Retrieved from http://www.foodpolicy.umn.edu/policy-summaries-and-analyses/genetically-engineeredfoods/

Vendmois J., Cellier D., Vlot C., Clair E., Mesnage R., and Sralini G., (2010). Debate on GMOs Health Risks after Statistical Findings in Regulatory Tests. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2952409/

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Scottish Government.(2013) Scottish Government Policy on Genetically Modified GM Crops. Retrieved from http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/farmingrural/Agriculture/Environment/15159

Dupont,V,(2013). GMO Corn and Soy dominate U.S. market. Retrieved from http://phys.org/news/201306-gmo-corn-soybeans-dominate.html