Genetically Modified Organisms – A Dangerous Experiment
Pastor Dale Morgan
Genetically Modified Organisms – A Dangerous Experiment*
by Barbara H. Peterson
(NaturalNews) The problems with Genetically Modified (GM) foods are as
many as they are varied. Respected scientists have risked everything to
step forward and warn consumers that this new fast-track "solution to
world hunger" is bad for their health and the environment, but to little
avail. Giant agri-business companies such as Monsanto forge ahead to
flood the world's food chain with experimental technologies that are
proving to be harmful to life. The worst part is, the longer this
reckless experiment is allowed to go on, the closer we get to a complete
planetary takeover by Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO).
The GMO Cover-up
Dr. Arpad Pusztai, PhD, FRSE, "one of the few genuinely independent
scientists specializing in plant genetics and animal feeding studies"
(OCA, 2005), worked for the Rowett Research Institute in Aberdeen,
Scotland in 1998. During his employment, he was commissioned to study
potatoes "fitted" or genetically modified (GM) with a lectin gene from
Galanthus Nivalis, a European plant. He inserted the gene into the
potatoes himself, then fed the GM potatoes to lab rats in order to
document the effects. What he found was that these potatoes had damaged
the organs of the rats and depressed their immune systems. On August 10,
1998, Dr. Pusztai appeared on a British documentary and issued a warning
to the public about the inadequate testing of GM foods, and revealed his
test results. For his candor, Dr. Pusztai was accused of incompetence,
and forced to retire.
A scandal ensued after Dr. Pusztai raised questions about the safety of
GM potatoes. Accusations that Monsanto used its influence to ram the
technology through with bribery and coercion were made, as chronicled by
the Doric Column (1999):
* 12 February 1999: Twenty scientists from 14 countries who have
examined Pusztai's report accuse Rowett of bowing to political pressure.
The group calls for a moratorium on GM crops.
* 13 February 1999: The British government "rejects calls for a
moratorium amid allegations that it is in the pocket of the biotech
industry."
* 14 February 1999: Rowett is reported to have received £140,000 from
Monsanto before the blow-up.
Dr. Pusztai was later "asked by the German authorities in the autumn of
2004 to examine Monsanto's own 1,139-page report on the feeding of
MON863 to laboratory rats over a 90-day period" (OCA, 2005). He was
forced to sign a "declaration of secrecy," or gag order before Monsanto
would allow him to see the report.
This would not be so bad if it were not for the fact that Dr. Pusztai's
evaluation was highly critical of both the methods and the findings of
the study, indicating that MON863 maize by no means has a "clean bill of
health." Subsequent leaks from France, Germany and Belgium suggest that
the maize variety may indeed be unsafe for animal or human consumption,
and that a major cover-up is under way, designed to protect the
corporate giant Monsanto and the regulatory authorities that have
prematurely advised that MON863 is perfectly safe. (GM-Free Ireland, 2005).
His concerns regarding the dangers of MON863 maize after seeing the
report were the same as several German and other European scientists,
"but the German Government refused to publish their findings, and
insisted that Dr. Pusztai should respect his "gagging order"" (OCA, 2005).
Not to be held back in its rush to give the okay to GMO foods and the
questionable technology behind them, The European Safety Authority
commissioned its own set of experts to conclude that:
MON863 was perfectly safe and wholesome. More seriously, in the EFSA
Statement, and in subsequent Monsanto press releases, Dr. Pusztai was
named and criticized in spite of the fact that it was known by all
concerned that he was effectively "gagged" and could not defend himself.
(OCA, 2005)
Independent Research Confirms - GMO Food is Dangerous
On October 10, 2005 during the symposium over genetic modification,
which was organized by the National Association for Genetic Security
(NAGS), Doctor of Biology Irina Ermakova made public the results of the
research led by her at the Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and
Neurophysiology of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS). This is the
first research that determined clear dependence between eating
genetically modified soy and the posterity of living creatures (Regnum,
2005).
Over half of the rats born to mothers who ate GM-soy (55-56%) were dead
in three weeks, as opposed to a 9% mortality rate in rats whose mothers
ate normal soy. "The morphology and biochemical structures of rats are
very similar to those of humans, and this makes the results we obtained
very disturbing," said Irina Ermakova to NAGS press office. (Regnum, 2005)
Another glaring example of the dangers of GMO food is that of Syngenta
and the German farmer, Gottfried Glockner of North Hessen. As William
Engdahl explains in Seeds of Destruction:
This farmer found evidence that planting Syngenta Bt-176 genetically
engineered corn to feed his cattle in 1997 had been responsible for
killing off his cattle, destroying his milk production, and poisoning
his farmland. Syngenta's Bt-176 corn had been engineered to produce a
toxin of Bacillus thuringiensis, which they claimed was deadly to a
damaging insect, the European Corn Borer (pg. 230).
GMO Technology Threatens the World's Food Supply
Not only is GMO food harmful to the animals that eat it, but it also has
the potential to overcome the crops around it. Insects, birds, and wind
carry seeds into neighboring fields and beyond. This is
cross-pollination, and cannot be controlled in an outdoor environment.
Genetically engineered plants are no exception to this. The pollen from
GM plants can cross-pollinate with normal plants and contaminate entire
fields. With the proliferation of GM crops, this is a real danger.
In 1996, there were approximately 6,563 square miles of farmland in the
world devoted to GMO crops. In 2006, there were 393,828 square miles
devoted to GMO crops (GMO Compass, 2007). This is a 5900% increase in
land devoted to GMO crops in a 10-year period! At this rate, the amount
of GM crops will double in the next ten years, not including
cross-pollination factors.
Is "Organic" Really Organic?
Even foods labeled "organic" are allowed a percentage of GMO contamination.
"EU Agricultural Ministers have decided to allow organic food
accidentally contaminated with genetically modified organisms to be
classified as organic as long as the GMO presence is less than 0.9%"
(Shield, 2007).
In the United States, "the U.S. National Organic Program (NOP) rules
prohibit GMOs in organics but don't require methods to prohibit GMO
contamination or establish thresholds for adventitious GM presence"
(Roseboro, 2007).
Many organic companies simply do not want to undergo the expense and
effort necessary to test their fields for GMO contamination, but some
say that it is essential in order to maintain integrity.
Jack Olson is an organic farmer in Litchville, North Dakota, who grows
organic soybeans, wheat, and other crops. "It's hard for one organic
farmer to fight Monsanto," he says. Still, Olson puts up with the
inconveniences because he is committed to organic agriculture. "At least
we're clean, that's why we grow organic. It's God's way," he says.
(Roseboro, 2007)
Fighting the Giant
It is difficult to fight the giant like Jack Olson is doing, but
essential for health and the survival of our food supply. Scientists
that are not afraid to speak out, and organic farmers that are not
afraid to compete with companies such as Monsanto and offer customers
GMO-free organic foods, stand between the agri-business giants intent on
profiting from an improperly tested technology and the people who need
the information and resources to make sure that what they are eating is
healthy and nutritious. Without these people, the Monsantos of the world
will soon have us eating nothing but their genetically engineered foods,
with no thought for the consequences of their actions.
© 2008, Barbara H. Peterson
References:
Doric Column. (1999). Transgenic Potatoes Á La Carte.
(http://www.mbbnet.umn.edu/doric/potato.html)
Engdahl, F.W. (2007). Seeds of Destruction. Global Research.
GM Free Ireland. (2005). Monsanto GM Maize Conspiracy Revealed.
((http://www.gmfreeireland.org/resources/...)
GMO Compass. (2007). Transgenic Crops by Trait. GM Trait Statistics.
Retrieved from
((http://www.gmo-compass.org/eng/agri_bio...)
Organic Consumers Association (OCA). (2005). Monsanto's GE Corn
Experiments on Rats Continue to Generate Global Controversy
((http://www.organicconsumers.org/monsant...)
Regnum. (2005). Genetically modified soy affects posterity: Results of
Russian scientists' studies. Retrieved from
(http://www.regnum.ru/english/526651.html)
Roseboro, K. (2007). How Organic is Organic? New Calls for Testing
Organic Foods for GMOs. Environmental News Network.
(http://www.enn.com/top_stories/article/23152)
Shield, P. (2007). GMOs Threaten Organic Standards. Organic Consumers
Association (OCA). ((http://www.organicconsumers.org/article...)