Daniella Lyustin- 805-095-999
Biotechnology and Society
Cecale, Discussion 1C
December 7, 2018
The Benefits and Safety of GMOs
Genetically modified organisms have become one of the greatest controversies worldwide, as they have the power to alleviate famine due to their ability to feed countless people, in spite of their incorrect reputation for being potentially dangerous to one’s health. Many countries, such as South Sudan and Yemen, are experiencing traumatic starvation (Famine and Hunger Crisis), and their crises can be at least temporarily eased with the acceptance of GM corn from the United States. As the director of The World Health Organization, I can assure you that we at the United Nations are extremely concerned about maintaining people’s health while preventing illness, disease, and famine. Over the last decade, a considerable body of research has demonstrated that genetically modified (GM) organisms are safe for consumption. Being professionally trained as a doctor, and having earned a masters degree in public health, I am confident that the GM foods are a truly powerful method for helping to end starvation and subsequently increasing the overall health of nations’ populations. In summary, after reviewing the many years of scientific testing that have been done, we have determined that there are no significant health or allergy risks tied to the consumption of genetically modified foods, and the public can benefit from their adoption in their societies during this time of overpopulation and famine.
As the global population continues to grow rapidly, food insecurity is becoming a prominent issue in many parts of the world, especially in African nations; however, this concern can be addressed through the use of GM food, currently being offered by the United States. It was estimated that “the world population at the beginning of the last century was just under 2 billion and had tripled to 6 billion by the year 2000. Estimates predict that the population will increase by half as much again to 9 billion by the year 2040 or 2050” (Cockburn 2002). With the rapid rise in the world’s population, the demand for food is exponentially increased; GM foods can be produced at much faster rates, can be immune from the effects of insects and molds, can growth through environmental stress, can be grown at lower costs, can manifest larger yields, and can feed countless numbers of people (Possible benefits of GM crops). Furthermore, when compared to wealthier regions, impoverished areas have a greater inability to pay for nutritious foods and poorer countries are most in need of food supplies. This is causing many people to starve or consume a lack of nutrients and die from malnutrition. With the “estimate that we will need to grow 70% more food by 2050, a demand unlikely to be met using traditional food production methods”, it is crucial that starving nations accept GM foods as aid in order to decrease the deaths occurring due to hunger (Yang, Chen, 2016). The southern developing countries of Africa could reduce the extent of their growing famine crisis through the acceptance of GM foods. The genetically modified organisms being offered to the African nations as a form of food aid represent one definitive way to address this issue; their declining such aid would further the ever-growing crisis of malnutrition and starvation that so deeply assails many developing countries.
As well, insecurity regarding the acquisition of adequate food supplies will become an even greater concern as arable land decreases with climate change and population growth. Crop loss is expected to “increase as water resources decline and desertification intensifies. Drought and salinity are expected to cause serious salinization of many arable lands by 2050, requiring the implementation of new technologies to ensure crop survival” (Key, Ma, Drake, 2008). The use of GMO plants can address this problem directly, as governments use strains of crops that are capable of growing in conditions with higher salinity. Through extensive research, scientists have found a way to “have genetically modified plants tolerate high levels of salt — offering a potential solution to growing food in salty soils. The researchers inserted a gene to remove salt — in the form of sodium ions — from water taken up by the plant before it reaches the leaves, where it does most damage” (Sawahel, 2009). GM plants may subsequently keep the soil in better condition in such regions, as they increase their ecosystems’ abilities to retain organic materials. This is the result of genetic modifications that not only focuses on the yields of plants’, but GMOs that enhance hardiness of roots and nutritional self-sufficiency, while in turn directly addressing compelling global needs.
The safety of consumption of GM foods has been proven through extensive research and analysis. In fact, “results obtained from testing GM food and feed in rodents indicate that large (at least 100-fold) 'safety' margins exist between animal exposure levels without observed adverse effects and estimated human daily intake. The studies did not show any biologically relevant differences in the parameters tested between control and test animals” (Safety and nutritional assessment, 2008). Thus, countries that are rife with starvation should have no fear of harm from these foods, which have no adverse effects when compared with regular foods. The chemicals that are used in the production of GMOs have been found to be safe for consumption, as they exist in everyday life, and have had no documented harmful effects. A study showed that “Thuringiensis strains are found in nearly every environment and are thus ubiquitous in soils. Bt microbial cultures containing the toxin have been used widely for about 40 years as biological pesticides on a variety of plants and Bt protein has thus been consumed without any history of adverse effects” (Cockburn, 2002). Thus, there should be no fear in the African nations that the food will have adverse effects on health, as they have been proven to be completely safe. The consumption of corn is crucial to the diet of those in Africa, as it is a high percentage of their diets, so accepting the GM corn would alleviate the stress of starvation. Thus, advocates of GMO use have substantive responses to the issue of safety, and should distribute GM crops to alleviate the hunger in African nations.
Often, those who criticize the use of GMO have cited studies which have questionable validity or marginal relevance. In an article about the safety of GMOs, researchers “performed a statistical reanalysis and review of experimental data presented in some of the [anti-GMO] studies and found that quite often in contradiction with the authors’ conclusions the data actually provides weak evidence of harm that cannot be differentiated from chance” (Panchin, Tuzhikov, 2017). Thus, the comparisons of GMO and non-GMO foods that show adverse health effects are incorrect, as the symptoms most likely stem from other sources, and have nothing to do with them being genetically modified. For example, in a study performed with rats, the authors claimed that liver congestions and mammary tumors were more likely when subjects were fed genetically modified foods, causing premature death (Seralini, 2012). However, “over 30 different organs were analyzed in the study and the two sexes were analyzed independently. Seralini provides the data selectively, and none of the reported differences between the number of rats with specific organ pathologies in control and GM fed groups were statistically significant” (Panchin, Tuzhikov, 2017). Therefore, the validity of GMO use may, at times, be under attack, but the reasons, when examined, prove faulty. This reinforces the thematic claim herein, which is that use of GMO crops is compellingly beneficial.
Another argument by GMO antagonists involves how fear of allergies to GM foods has been a relevant concern in the debate; however, studies have concluded that there are no more allergens in GM products than in analogous crops. In a study conducted to test for allergens, scientists found that “no biotech proteins in foods have been documented to cause allergic reactions. Indeed, even with a biotech protein (Cry9c) considered to have a medium likelihood of being an allergen, no protein‐specific IgE could be detected in patients suspected of having adverse reactions to corn containing this protein” (Lehrer, Banon, 2005). Therefore, impoverished nations should accept the GM food aid, as it poses no risks to the health of their citizens. The fear can be diminished and GMOs should be distributed to the starving nations.
Yet another advantage conferred by GMOs is that additional nutritional value in foods can be increased using them; thus, the opportunity emerges for far greater portions of starvation-ridden populations to consume enough vitamins to remain healthy. An example of this is the addition of Vitamin A in Golden Rice. “It is estimated that 72 g of dry Golden Rice 2 will provide 50% of the RDA of vitamin A needed for a 1 to 3-year-old child” (Key, Ma, Drake, 2008). With the added vitamins, people can be confident that their food has sufficient nutritional value, and millions of children who are dying from malnutrition will grow up to be healthy. This is extremely helpful in Africa specifically, as “Vitamin A deficiency and malaria are both highly prevalent health problems in Africa. Vitamin A deficiency affects over 30 million children, most of whom are in the age-group (under five years) most affected by malaria” (SanJoaquin, Molyneux, 2009). Thus, not only do GM crops feed the people, a lot of lives could also be saved with the inclusion of additional vitamins in GM crops. Therefore, not just yield and crop efficiency are solved through the use of GMOs, but malnutrition prevention can be enhanced as well.
In addition to feeding the starving populations of many countries, GMOs can be used as a preventative measure for many diseases and illnesses. “Medicines and vaccines often are costly to produce and sometimes require special storage conditions not readily available in third world countries. Researchers are working to develop edible vaccines in tomatoes and potatoes. These vaccines will be much easier to ship, store and administer than traditional injectable vaccines” (Whitman 2000). By consuming the edible vaccines, individuals in third world countries will be much less susceptible to disease and in turn death. Also, since many individuals work as farmers in Africa, it is very beneficial that the “case study on GM bananas illustrated the possibility of achieving protection against serious fungal diseases and reduction in pesticide use, with direct financial and health- related benefits for farmers and farm workers” (Possible benefits of GM crops). This portends a plethora of further possible benefits of GM crops. With fewer people being sick, countries can spend their money on reparations and building their infrastructures, rather than the health of their civilians. Thus, the use of GMO crops may not only be a vibrant factor for increasing health and longevity; it can help the financial conditions of nations who adopt their use.
To conclude, as the Director General of the World Health Organization, I am committed to ensuring the health and wellness of the world’s population. I am positive that the consumption of the GM crops is safe, and will not cause adverse effects. GMOs address a wide range of compelling issues that are rampant in the world’s poorer regions, including malnutrition, starvation, crop size, drought resistance, soil conditions, and financial limitations. The food will vastly help our efforts to overcome the famine that is occurring in many impoverished nations, and prevent the millions of deaths that will occur without the implementation of GMOs.
Works Cited
Cockburn, A. (2002). Assuring the safety of genetically modified (GM) foods: The importance of an holistic, integrative approach. Journal of Biotechnology, 98(1), 79-106.
Famine and hunger crisis. (n.d.). Oxfam.org
Key, S., Ma, J. K., & Drake, P. M. (2008). Genetically modified plants and human health. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 290-298.
Lehrer, S. B., & Bannon, G. A. (2005). Risks of allergic reactions to biotech proteins in foods: Perception and reality. European Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 60(5), 559-564.
Panchin, A. Y., & Tuzhikov, A. I. (2017). Published GMO studies find no evidence of harm when corrected for multiple comparisons. Critical Reviews in Biotechnology, 37(2), 213–217.
Possible benefits of GM crops in developing countries. (n.d.). Retrieved December 3, 2018, from Nuffield Council on Bioethics.
Safety and nutritional assessment of GM plants and derived food and feed: The role of animal feeding trials. (2008). Food and Chemical Toxicology, 46, 1st ser., S2-S70.
SanJoaquin, M. A., & Molyneux, M. E. (2009). Malaria and vitamin A deficiency in African children: a vicious circle?. Malaria journal, 8(1), 134.
Sawahel, W. (2009). Genetic change could make crops thrive on salty soils. SciDev.net
Seralini GE, Clair E, Mesnage R. (2012). Long-term toxicity of a Roundup herbicide and a Roundup-tolerant genetically modified maize. Food and Chemical Toxicology. 50,4221-4231
Whitman, D.B. (2000). Genetically Modified Foods: Harmful or Helpful? CSA Discovery Guides.
Yang, T. Y., & Chen, B. (2016). Governing GMOs in the USA: Science, law and public health. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 96(6), 1851-1855.