RUNNING HEAD: GMO HEALTH CONCERNS 1

GMO Health Concerns

Sebastian Aguilar

The University of Texas at El Paso

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GMO or Genetically Modified Organisms are used to make agriculture more profitable. Many

people are having these allergic reactions to the genetically modified food, but not to the same

organic product. Even though GMOs are known to affect people the FDA still will not put any

more stricter regulations to the companies in order to keep the companies profitable and to keep

up with the food demand, not just for our country but also for the world. Some companies are le-

gally allowed to use the label organic in their products since the FDA allows some corn based

products as non GMO products, even though the corn may come from a genetically modified

seed. Some companies like Campbells has now started label all of their products that may con-

tain GMOs due to corn based products, which can mean that in a near future some companies

may also start to label their products as good as Campbells.

How does the FDA regulate genetically modified foods?

Are genetically modified foods healthy to consume?

How do Genetically Modified Organisms affect humans and their environment?

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Genetically modified organisms were created by a chemical company called Monsanto,

this company first started its experiment in the 1980s and got a patient for it when it first came

out in the market in 1994. Genetically modified organisms are create by adding one trait of DNA

to another cell in order to make it able to withstand harsh climates or make it immune to pesti-

cides or some kinds of bacteria. To do this you have to cut up the trait of DNA wanted and mix it

with a bacteria, once the bacteria has been successfully combined with the DNA trait, then that

plants or animals DNA is attacked by this bacteria in order to be able to invade the cells of the

animal or plant.(Abbey Media Roots). When the bacteria invades the cell it creates some second-

ary effects or even mutations in plants and animals. For example in order to make corn immune

to round up they must invade the cell with the desired GMO. In order to make the GMO able to

invade the cell first they make it burnable by adding soy bacteria that causes tumors in the plant,

once the plant is burnable then the GMO is able to enter the cell and change its DNA.(Abbey

Media Roots)

The public has had its concerns with health when we deal with genetically modified food.

The FDA has regulated genetically modified foods, but their are many foods that contain

GMO ingredients and are not labeled. In fact there are more than 250 non organic substances-

often chemicals-that are legally allowed aas additives in organic foods many of which are

made from industrial, or GMO corn. (Shetterly pg#7). How can the consumers try and better

their diet by eliminating GMOs, if the

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consumer can not know for sure that the food that is labeled as organic is truly organic food.

The FDA, it turns out does not require that corn be labeled as an allergen on any pack-

aging. And 80 percent of packaged food contains ingredients from GMO corn or soy(Shetterly

pg#7). The FDA does not regulate GMO companies as much in order to keep it as profitable as

possible, even though that many cases have shown that proteins created by the genetically modi-

fied crops have harmed peoples health, in some cases the allergic reaction have been so rough

that some people especially children do not survive. The proteins caused by these genetically

modified food cause the immune system to over react. It rushes white blood cells to mucus mem-

branes , muscles, and bowels. This tends to be an auto immunization disease; which creates se-

rum sickness. Chronic Serum Sickness is a kind of hyper sensitivity, or immune system that

makes it go on over drive. So it makes you more sick or gives you an allergic reaction to any or

most drugs used to fight the symptoms.(Shetterly pg#10). The fact is that the company Monsanto

is the one that controls all of the GMO products, since they got their patient on GMOs in the

1980s. So no one can look to a better alternative to GMO, or even try to make them in another

kind of way that do not create such harmful allergic reactions.

Even though some people are being affected by the GMO industry some people are being

benefited by it, not only people but the environment as well. In the 17th year of widespread

adoption, crops developed through genetic modification delivered more environmentally friendly

farming practices while providing clear improvements to farmer

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productivity and income, said Graham Brookes, director of PG Economics, co-author of the re-

port. Half of the farm income gains and the majority of the environmental gains associated with

changes in pesticide use and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions occurred in developing

countries. (Dizon, F. pg# 286). Thanks to the biotechnology in crops we have seen almost a one

hundred precent profit in farmers, when before this the crops would be vulnerable to extreme

cold and sometimes even pesticides used to kill bacteria that could harm the plants. Another ben-

efit of crop biotechnology has been less pesticide spraying in crops. Since crops are now immune

to to some bacterias the pesticide spraying has gone down 8.8 percent since 1996, which equals

to 503 million kilograms (Dizon, F. pg#281). Not only are we emitting less green house gases

into the atmosphere by reducing the amount of carbon dioxide, but we are also helping our

health. The spraying of pesticides is mostly done by airplanes some the pesticides may infect the

air we breath and may even harm our respiratory system.

Since our world population is growing at an alarming rate our agricultare does not have

the luxury to fail, that is why mostly every farmer in developing or developed contries has now

turned to genetically modified seed for its crops. Between 1996 and 2012, crop biotechnology

was responsible for an additional 122 million tonnes of soybeans and 231 million tonnes of corn.

The technology has also contributed an extra 18.2 million tonnes of cotton lint and 6.6 million

tonnes of canola (Dizon, F. pg#293). As we can see the creation of GMO has been able to feed

our rapidly growing population, it may have it flaws but in order to be able to keep feeding the

population at a profitable rate GMOs are a necessity to our world now. With out the advantages

farmers gain from

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using the genetically modified seeds can offer, the price of food would be very high right now,

that is why organic food is seen as a luxury due to its over pricing in the market.
Running Head: GMO Health Concerns 7

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