Post on 07-Feb-2016
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Background
Green Revolution of the 1960s brought greater food production Total available food
rose by 11 percent during 1970-1990
Hungry people declined by 16 percent
What is genetic engineering?
Modification of an existing gene
Replacing genes with improved versions
Introducing new genes from a similar or different organism
What kind of crops are modified? “Broad acre
commodity crops” Canola Corn Cotton Soybeans
Over 40 crops available in the US
4,500 GM plants tested by 1999 in US alone
Acceptance is occurring fast
1995 – no commercial plantings of GM crops in US
1999 – 33% of the corn crop, 55% of the cotton fields, 44% of the soybeans
2000 – 44.2 million hectares in 13 different countries
Who’s doing it
68% GM crops grown in US
23% grown in Argentina
7% grown in Canada 1% grown in China
Environmental Benefits – Pest Control 500,000 kg of
pesticides are applied in US each year
Don’t have to spray plants
Bt in over 50 crops
Environmental Benefits – Herbicide Resistance Less herbicide usage Less harmful
herbicides 5.4 million lbs of
glyphosate in place of 7.2 million lbs of other synthetic herbicides Stays in environment
for shorter periods 3.4 to 16.8 times less
toxic
Other Environmental Benefits Remove heavy metals
from soil Can be used in
bioremediation Can convert annual
grains to perennials
Environmental Risks – Super Bugs & Super Weeds Bugs become
resistant Pests can actually
use Bt toxins for nourishment
Transfer herbicide resistance to weeds
Environmental Risks – Harm to Wildlife Glyphosate and Bt are
toxic to non-target species
Modified fish contain metals that can kill other fish and racoons
Eradication of weeds will have a chain reaction through food chain
Human health benefits
End world hunger More nutritious foods
Increase Vitamin A in rice – prevent death and blindness
Increase Iron in rice – less anemia, learning disabilities and susceptibility to infections
Health Benefits – “Pharm Crops” Edible vaccines Cheaper drugs – 10 to
100 time lower than current prices
Health Risks - Allergens
GE regularly moves proteins from organisms into crops
Most known allergens are to proteins
Health Risks – Resistance to Antibiotics GE uses genes for
antibiotic resistance as “selectable markers”
Antibiotic effectiveness can be reduced
Resistance genes can be transferred to human pathogens
More Health Problems
Turning off genes can produce problems
Some proteins in pharm and industrial crops act as hormones Acromegaly in adults Giantism in children
How is it getting in our food?
Seed mixing Pollen flow
Corn pollen – travels more than 50 yards in the wind
Canola pollen – travels up to 15 miles and can fertilize other crops!
Can GM crops solve the problem of world hunger? There is already
enough food to supply everyone in the world with 4.3 lbs and 3,500 calories each day
So why is anyone without food? People are without
food because they “are poor in terms of income to purchase food, or in terms of access to agricultural resources, education, technology, infrastructure, and credit to produce their own food”
The Scary Conclusion
Only 30-40 countries have regulations governing GM products
That leaves over 130 countries that have no regulations for GM organisms!
Just remember…
You are what you eat!