The Potential for Harm

Health Risks New Plant Toxins Inserting foreign genes into crops used for food can have unpredictable effects. A 1999 study in England found evidence that genetically engineered potatoes damaged the vital organs and immune systems of laboratory rats. Studies on the Flavr Savr tomato in the U.S. found increased toxicity levels responsible for stomach lesions in rats. Decreasing Antibiotic Effectiveness Scientists insert genes for antibiotic resistance into new cells as a marker to see if the new target gene has been successfully transferred. This can lead to increased antibiotic resistance in disease-causing bacteria. A recent World Health Organization report warned that illnesses as common as strep throat and diarrhea could become untreatable within 10-15 years due to antibiotic resistance. New Food Allergies In 1996, disaster was narrowly averted when researchers found that a soybean engineered to contain brazil nut genes produced an allergic reaction in individuals allergic to nuts. Many of the genes now being inserted into our food crops come from species not ordinarily included in the human diet. This means we have no way to predict whether people will have allergic reactions to these new “foods.”

Environmental Risks Unintended Harm to Plants or Animals Crops engineered to kill certain pests are often toxic to beneficial insects as well. A 1999 study at Cornell University found that pollen from Bt corn, corn engineered to create its own pesticide, was toxic to monarch butterflies. These delicate, endangered insects are now exposed to toxic pollen as they pass through the US corn-belt on their yearly migration to Mexico. Other studies have shown toxic effects on insects that are beneficial to agriculture, such as lacewings and ladybugs. Pollen Drift There are several documented instances of pollen from genetically engineered crops contaminating non-genetically engineered fields. Drift poses a significant threat to organic farmers and others who want to avoid genetic engineering. Soil Contamination New research on Bt corn found activated Bt emanating from the roots that bound to soil particles and remained toxic to soil insects for up to eight months. How this will impact the long-term ecology of the soil community is unknown. Superweeds Pollen flow from genetically engineered plants can transfer novel genes to wild relatives. Herbicide resistance, for example, can be transferred from crop species to weedy relatives, creating “superweeds” that are unresponsive to herbicides.

The Agrochemical Industry Profit Motive

"Monsanto should not have to vouch for the safety of biotech food. Our interest is in selling as much of it as possible." - Phil Angell, Monsanto Director of Corporate Communications, quoted by Michael Pollan in “Playing God in the Garden,” New York Times Sunday Magazine, October 25, 1998

Recognizing the potential for huge profit margins associated with biotechnology, agrochemical corporations began “acquiring” seed companies during the early 1990’s. Today, 75 percent of the global market for vegetable seeds is controlled by just five corporations. The top three (Dupont, Monsanto and Novartis/ AstraZeneca) are among the world’s largest agrochemical companies. By selling combination packages of genetically engineered seeds and herbicides and forcing farmers to purchase new seed each year, these corporations are reaping record profits.

Many of these agrochemical corporations have a history of putting profit before safety. Some of these same corporations are responsible for the creation and release of DDT, Agent Orange and Dursban—products that resulted in serious damage to both public health and the environment. Only when widespread harm became apparent did the U.S. government begin to restrict and/or eliminate the use of these dangerous chemicals. History appears to be repeating itself with the development and marketing of insufficiently tested genetically engineered food.

Public backlash against the unregulated use of genetic engineering has led to the European Union imposing a moratorium on the approval of new genetically engineered crops, Japan passing labeling laws and 130 nations adopting the BioSafety Protocol calling for stronger genetic engineering regulations.

In an effort to counteract increased public resistance to genetic engineering in the U.S., these agrochemical corporations and the medical biotechnology industry have launched a $52 million public relations campaign to promote the supposed benefits of genetic engineering while protecting their record profits.

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Sources

National Academy of Sciences April 2000 Report on Biotech Foods, pg. 33
Food Safety Review, vol. 1, number 1. pg. 3 Teitel, Martin, Kimberly Wilson.
Genetically Engineered Food & You: Changing the Nature of Nature. 1999. Park Street Press, pg. 35 http://www.ucsusa.org/agriculture/monarch.html Saxena, Deepak, Saul Flores, G. Stotzky.
Insecticidal toxin in root exudates from Bt corn in Nature, vol. 402, Dec. 2, 1999. pg. 480 Grogan, John, Cheryl Long.
The Problem with Genetic Engineering in Organic Gardening, January/February 2000, pg. 44 Time Magazine, January 1999