GMOs; Friends or Foes?

Christine Van Oyen

Mrs. Scott
3/7/15
3rd hour

GMOs; Friends or Foes?

l.
The effects of genetically modified foods are hazardous and pose many
threats.
ll.

Background information

lll.

Effect on humans
A.
Allergic reactions
1.
Cross-contamination
2.
Soy
3.
Proteins
B.
Toxins
1.
Bacillus Thuringiensis (Bt)
2.
L-tryptophan
3.
rBGH

lV.

Effect on animals
A.
Cows
B.
Pigs
C.
Monarch butterflies

V.

Effect on environment
A.
Herbicide-resistant organisms
1.
Super weeds
2.
Super bugs
3.
Pesticides
B.
Biodiversity
1. Crops
2.
Insects
3.
Extinction
C.
Pollution

Vl.

The dangers and effects of GMOs are not worth their possible benefits.

GMOs; Friends or Foes?

Search Story:
Eighty percent of processed foods in America have been genetically
modified. Genetically modified foods are formed when the DNA of crops are
altered to change characteristics of the crop. The purpose of this process is
to make crops more resistant to diseases and harsh weather. Another goal of
genetically modifying crops is to immunize them against pesticides, viruses,
and herbicides. Although GM (genetically modified) foods seem great at first,
there are many people that question if they really are all that amazing. In a
2013 New York Times poll it was found that, Three-quarters of Americans
have concerns about genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in their food
(Caplan). One problem regarding GMOs (genetically modified organisms), is
that nobody knows the long term effect of humans consuming GM foods.
Since safety testing of GMO products is not required, and biotechnology
companies do not allow studies on GM seeds to be published, some risks are
still unknown to the general public. The effects of genetically modified foods
are hazardous and pose many threats.
When we were told to choose a debatable topic in the beginning stages
of this research paper, I wanted to choose something that is a part of my
daily life, such as eating genetically modified food. When I chose the topic of
GMOs, I did not know much about them. All I knew was that the purpose of
engineering food is to make them more sustainable to factors such as
weather. I also knew that a lot of the food around us is genetically modified.
The process of GM foods seems fine at first, but there is a common trend that

when we try to solve a problem, we often create a different one. With this
thought in the back of my mind, I knew that there must be multiple negative
threats from GM foods that come with the positive impacts that are
advertised.
The easiest part of the research paper was finding good sources and
getting enough notecards. Even with just the bare minimum of ten sources
from MEL and two sources from the internet, I was able to end up with 72
notecards. I used the C.R.A.P. test to evaluate the two sources found through
google. The sources were simple to evaluate because they were renowned
websites associated with other well-known organizations. Even though
evaluating these two websites was simple, it is much easier to stay within
the databases. I found most of my sources within the Opposing Viewpoints in
Context database. In this database I had to be careful to make sure the
sources were not too biased. Since this database includes debate articles
that are one sided, I had to make sure that none of the information was
exaggerated or contained false statements.
The most challenging part of the research paper so far has been
forming my outline. The first part of the outline is my thesis statement. When
forming my thesis statement I found myself getting stumped in the
beginning. It helped me to read other peoples thesis statements and look at
other examples to get a better understanding of what I want mine to be like.
When developing the other aspects of my outline, I found that my paragraph
about the GMOs effect on the environment and biodiversity was the hardest.

When looking back through my notecards, I had to make sure I wrote about
everything in the most reasonable way that would make the most sense in
the context of my paper. I also had to make the decision of what notecards to
get rid of in order to keep my paragraph as centered as possible.

Poll Results:
When I was figuring out whether to do an interview or a poll, I found
that it would be challenging to find someone to interview about my topic.
Therefore, I decided to do a poll. When developing my plan, I found that I
wanted to poll the people around me because they are the ones being
affected by genetically modified foods. After learning so much about GM
foods when conducting my research, I was curious to find out if other people
were for or against GMOs. I was also wondering whether or not people were
educated on the topic of genetically modified foods. The people I chose to
interview include my sister Elizabeth, my Mom, my Dad, Claire Smith, Jenna
Doyle, Elizabeth Clifford, Mrs. Rexer, Mrs. Lee, Mrs. Scott, and my Sunday
school teacher Mrs. Dimsdale. Overall, I found that most people believed
that GMOs are hazardous but they know they are eating them. On top of
that, when I asked about their understanding of GMOs, only 30% of the
people I asked had a good understanding of what they are/do. Additionally,
100% of the people I polled agreed to the statement that most people are
not aware of the effects of GMOs. These poll results show that most of the
general public is quite clueless to the multiple threats GMOs pose to humans.

Search Findings:
It is not only plants that are genetically engineered, animals and
microorganisms are modified as well. The act of genetically modifying foods
has grown rapidly around the world in recent years. It was found that
genetically modified crops increased 25-fold from 1996-2000! And even more
recently, More than ten million farmers planted 252 million acres of
genetically-modified (GM) crops in 2006 (Gupta). The first GM plant was
tobacco in 1983. Since then, that number has increased to over 48
genetically engineered foods being grown and sold in the United States.
Some of these plants include soy, corn, canola, cotton, sugar beets, and
alfalfa.
Genetically Modified foods pose multiple negative effects on humans.
One of these effects includes allergic reactions. If GM crops are crosscontaminated between two crops when being modified, allergic reactions
may be triggered. After GM soy was introduced into the United Kingdom, soy
allergies rose by 50%. It was found that some people reacted to GM soy
when tested, but not wild soy. The reason for this reaction is that the
modified soy has an allergen that is not found in regular soy, causing people
to react. Proteins produced in GM crops also pose threats. Introducing
proteins could result in a negative response in the human body. These
proteins could cause allergic reactions as well as hypersensitivity. It is found

that people are more likely to react to these foreign proteins if they already
have food allergies.
The toxins produced from genetically modified plants also have side
effects on humans. Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is a toxin that was used to
spray and kill gypsy moth. Instead of only killing the gypsy moth, this toxin
went on to affect people as well. In the area where the Bt was sprayed,
people reported allergic reactions and other problems that required them to
seek medical help. Another harmful toxin includes L-tryptophan. L-tryptophan
is an over-the-counter dietary supplement. In 1989, 37 Americans died after
consuming L-tryptophan. 5,000 other people also had problems with Ltryptophan. This supplement caused Eosinophilia Myalgia Syndrome (EMS).
Additionally, scientists warn about rBGHs effect on humans. rBGH is a
genetically engineered hormone that is injected into cows to make them
produce more milk. This milk has higher levels of IGF-1 and scientists believe
that the greater amount of the IGH-1 could cause breast, prostate, and colon
cancer. Subsequently, the government of Canada banned rBGH in early
1999. The European Union (EU) has had a ban in place since 1994. Although
rBGH continues to be injected into 10% of all US dairy cows, no other
industrialized country has legalized its use (Cummins). This means that
people in the United States still have to worry about their milks IGH-1 level
because it is not yet banned.
The effects of GMOs have been more clearly shown in animal studies
than human incidents. Experiments were conducted on animals such as cows

and pigs to find out the affect GMOs had on them. It was found that cows
that were forced to eat GM food had many problems. Dairy cows were found
with mastitis and beef cattle with liver abscesses. Not only did the
genetically modified food have an impact on the cows, it also affected the
calves born of the GM diet animals. According to the Organic Consumers
Association, Calves are born too weak to walk, with enlarged joints and limb
deformities (Caplan). The effects of GMOs on Sows piglets were just as
devastating. Piglets experience rapidly deteriorating health, a failure to
thrive so severe that they start breaking down their own tissues and organsself-cannibalizing-to survive (Caplan). In addition, female pigs that were on
a GMO diet had a reduced ability to conceive. They also suffered from a
higher miscarriage rate than those on a non-GM diet. Other studies have
shown animals with dramatic changes in body weight, stomach-lining
erosion, and accelerated aging from eating GMOs. GM crops also affect
insects and other organisms that depend on the plant. One of these insects
negatively impacted is the monarch butterfly. Corn that was genetically
modified caused the butterflies to die if they ate from the milkweed that was
growing on the corns pollen. In other words, the corn contaminated the
milkweed to the point that the monarch butterflies could not safely feed from
it without dying. Since GM crops damage the monarch butterflys main food
source, they contribute to their population decline. Butterflies are not the
only insect that genetically modified crops are damaging. They also have an

impact on lacewings, ladybugs, bees, birds, and beneficial soil

microorganisms.
As if the impact GMOs have on humans and animals is not enough,
they also damage the environment. By [naturalist Charles] Darwins theory
of natural selection, crops that are genetically modified to resist herbicides
and pesticides would create superbugs and superweeds that are immune
to any toxic chemicals (Gupta). These superweeds that are created would
require large sums of toxic chemicals and pesticides to destroy it, having a
negative impact on the environment. The need for more pesticides causes
herbicide-resistant weeds to develop and spread, damaging food sources for
other organisms. Also, the weeds and crops can reproduce, migrate and
mutate. This trait makes them hard to control and unpredictable. The reason
that GM crops are able to do this is because they are more resistant to
weather conditions and other factors that would normally cause them to die.
GMOs contribute to the decline in biodiversity as well. They do this by
being invasive and spreading over other crops. The Food and Agricultural
Organization of the United Nations found that since farmers have turned to
GM crops, 75% of biodiversity has been lost. GM crops may potentially
affect the fitness of other species, population dynamics, ecological roles, and
interactions, promoting local extinctions, population explosions, and changes
in community structure and function inside and outside
agroecosystems(Gertsberg). These are the many ways in which GM crops
contribute to changes in ecosystems. Genetic pollution is another problem

caused by GMOs. The DNA of genetically modified pollen has been found on
nearby, non-GM fields. The pollen contaminated the other field by being
transferred by wind, rain, birds, bees, and other insects. This means that
even if food is advertised as not containing GMOs, it still could have been
contaminated through genetic pollution. One case of bad genetic pollution
came from using broad spectrum herbicides that create glyphosate-resistant
weeds. The unregulated use of glyphosate-resistant crops systems has
triggered an epidemic of glyphosate-resistant weeds infesting 10 million
acres or more in this country alone (Gertsberg). Unfortunately, it is believed
that it is not possible to control genetic pollution.
The dangers and effects of GMOs are not worth their possible benefits.
Genetically modified foods negatively affect humans, animals, and the
environment. They can cause high toxin levels, allergies, cancer, genetic
pollution, a decrease in biodiversity, local extinction, and more. It is almost
impossible to avoid GM foods because companies in the United States are
not required to label products that contain GMOs. Therefore, you could be
eating them on a daily basis without even knowing. Even if we stop eating
GMOs completely, there is a possibility that we may still have their proteins
produced continuously inside us.

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