At the end of August we had an introduction to GMO’s in Stranger than Science Fiction P1. We looked definitions of a GMO, the health risks of ingesting genetically modified foods, the increase in the use of GMOs and food allergies, as well as some of the efforts to get modified foods labeled. Since writing this article I have noticed an increase in activism or at least it was in the front of my mind. The fact of the matter is that genetically engineered ingredients are found in more than 70 percent of foods sold in grocery stores unlabeled. Unfortunately we are fighting against big business conglomerates and their money like the 11 million dollars donated by the Grocery Manufacturers Association to defeat the labeling initiative in Washington State The companies that donated include PepsiCo, Hormel, and Bumble Bee, coincidentally they contributed more than Monsanto which sells GMO seeds. We do have grass roots groups like March Against Monsanto and the NonGMO project as well plant based advocates like John Joseph for the Cromags and Triathlete Rich Roll. Today we will be looking at the effects of GMO’s on the environment plants, animals and insects. One of the most alarming things going on now are the bees that are dying, if you remember biology class bee’s, are a critical part of the cycle of plant life. The other subjects we will be covering are gene flow, cross contamination, unintended harm to non-target organisms, the increased use of herbicides/pesticides with their environmental effects. I know its a lovely subject matter this holiday season, you would rather talk about who is playing in your fantasy football championship, or the new Lebrons that King James will be playing in on Christmas Day possibly even your Aunt Mary’s egg nog recipe. Truthfully on some level so would I. I want free range chickens and grass fed meat to be the rule not the exception as well as not having to worry that the food I am ingesting or my children will be eating foods that will do untold damage and change my DNA or gut bacteria. A little over 500 years ago Christopher Columbus landed in what we call America after a long trip across the Atlantic. He ‘found” the native people or indians as he called them, a diverse mix of different tribes which spanned the Greater and Lesser Antilles. The tribe he would have encountered the most were the Taino’s, who were the tribe most found on the large and small islands in the Caribbean. In his conquest for gold Columbus and his men enslaved the Taino people, in 1492 it was estimated that 8 million people were living on Hispaniola. In 1496 the population was cut in half, by 1508 the population was less than 100,000, in 1518 there fewer then 20,000, by 1535 the population was gone. This went on throughout the many of the islands in the Caribbean. Columbus brought with him both physical diseases as well as the maladies of the “modern” 15 century the lust for gold, property and forced labor. All of the native people encountered new culture, new diseases, new concepts and not all were good. This was explored by geographer William Denavan estimating a “consensus count” of 54 million native people. The lowest estimates give a death toll as high as 90% due to disease by the end of the 17 century this is a staggering number of people. You may be asking what this has to do with the subject we are discussing. It has everything to do with it as we are creating new life forms in a laboratory and letting them out into the wild. All the while we do not have any built up antibodies to the new life forms, leaving us defenseless environmentally and physically.
Lets define a GMO and the techniques used to promote modification. A GMO is an organism that has been artificially altered with the artificial addition, depletion or rearrangement of DNA to alter form or function to achieve the desired characteristic. This is done with what is called a promoter gene to get the changes going. That is all they do is promote the change they want without an “off” switch, this has crossed over to the ingesting organism in some cases. The matter of GMO's is of concern to the World Health Organization, the objectives of their programs is to assist authorities in the identification of foods that should be subjected to risk assessment including GM foods, and to recommend the correct assessments. One environmental risk is "out-crossing" or the transfer of engineered genes from GM crops to conventional, cultivated plants or related species in the wild. This happens by insect pollination, wind or other transfer. Once introduced into the wild the issues would be the persistence of the gene after it has been harvested, if the hybrid plants thrive it could cause abrupt change in the ecosystem. As well as the stability of the gene, the loss in biodiversity, the environmental concerns can change according to the local conditions. A September 2010 paper the WHO reported an instance where GM corn that was approved as livestock feed ended up in corn products that were intended for human consumption. In the opening paragraph I mentioned the increased use of herbicides and pesticides.The issue is that the farmers know that their GM crops are herbicide resistant, so they tend to use more of these toxins more frequently. The GM seeds are engineered to their produce their own pesticides, consequently we have more exposure to pesticides in our food and in fields. The WHO has investigations are focusing on the potential detrimental consequences for plant biodiversity and wildlife. As well as the decrease in crop rotation in certain local situations; and the movement of herbicide resistant genes to other plants.
When you start to look at our planet and the environment you realize that there are many different systems at work. If one piece of the puzzle is taken out or otherwise altered it can have disastrous repercussions. We all remember as children we were deathly afraid of being stung by a bee, running away like a fool some of us even trying to kill the bees. Once I was told of the importance of the bees in our ecosystem I leave them alone to move on their own accord. An unfortunate fact is that the bees are dying this can be attributed to many different factors like cell phones, wi-fi signals, and pesticides. In January 2012 researchers at Purdue University identified one of the causes in bee deaths as being an insecticide neonicontinoid. This particular insecticide is used to coat corn and soybeans prior to planting, their research found the insecticides in high concentration in waste from farm machinery used during planting. Two insecticides clothianidin and thiamethoxam are noted to be highly toxic to bees and were found in low levels in the soil up to two years after planting, and on the dandelion flowers and corn pollen gathered by the bees. The co-author of the study Christian Krupke stated "the same insecticides were found in each sample of the dead or dying bees.'' Greg Hunt the other co-author of the study has found that the US is losing one-third of its honeybee hives each year, he feels there is no one thing to blame. But he did note that the insecticides are contributing factor in bee deaths as the corn pollen bees were bringing back to the hives tested positive for below 100 parts per billion. If sufficient amounts are consumed its enough to kill the bees, but not acutely toxic. Of note is that the exhausted talc is extremely toxic having up to 700,000 times the lethal contact dose for a bee. This leads us to colony collapse disorder the name for the annual bee die offs or the bees left a dire state of health. CCD started around 2006-2007 beekeepers were reporting the loss of anywhere from 30-90 percent of the worker bees from their hives. Through recorded beekeeping history some disappearances or dwindling of colonies is noted to have happened, but CCD is still an ongoing issues. Some of the contributing factors are increased losses due to mites, new emerging diseases, pesticide poisoning, bee management stress, habitat modification, inadequate or poor nutrition and potential immune suppressing stress. In 2012 there were three studies including the Purdue University study linking neonictinoids to CCD, this has put pressure on the EPA to move to register Bayer's products. The largest producer of the neonic pesticides is Bayer, they came out with their own study showing the pesticide does not kill bees. This study was debunked by the EPA's scientists shortly after its publication. So lets put this into perspective in 2013 the USDA projected corn growers to produce 13.8 bushels of corn. This was up from the drought hit season of 2012, US Soybean growth is forecasted to be 3.26 billion bushels up eight percent from 2012. This means that the corn crop will cover over 94 million acres, California's land mass is approximately 101 million acres. The US department of agriculture estimates the value of honeybees to commercial agriculture to be $15 billion to $20 billion annually, while they do no not pollinate corn or soybeans they are needed for fruit and vegetables. The problem is not only limited to big agriculture Bayer’s neonics are also common in home gardening and landscaping projects. We do have people fighting these issues like the beekeepers who have been asking governments in the US and Europe to restrict or ban this type of pesticide due to the harmful effects on hive life. As well as the Pesticide Action Network who note that Italy, Germany, and France have already taken action against neonictinoids to protect their pollinators. The beekeepers are reporting a successful recovery. In the US we remain held captive by our own system which finds the chemicals innocent until proven guilty or is that until its to late.
The environmental effects of the GMOS is scary in an of itself, but one thing that stands out is the ling lasting effects they have had on the agricultural industry. It has been sold as a lottery ticket in a way for farmers who get roped into deal with the large seed companies. In the movie “Bitter Seeds” about Indian farmers and the multinational companies take over the of the seed market in India, we find out that every thirty minutes a farmer kills himself, due to the rising cost of farming. The only seeds available in India are GMO seeds they require farmers to pay an annual royalty each time they are replanted. The GMOS need additional fertilizers and as the seasons progress more insecticides and pesticides. The soil where the GMO seeds are planted require more water, which means more money from the farmers. This can be a death nil for small farmers across the world. GMO’s financial impacts are not only felt by farmers, the GM crops has cost the US an estimated $12 billion in farm subsidies, lost sales and product recalls due to transgenic contamination, and the massive failure of BT cotton up to 100% in India. 1 SomeUS Farmers are now considering returning to conventional seed after increased pest resistance and crop failures led to smaller yields from GM crops globally. In the US the GM seeds cost an extra $100 per acre, unless they see a benefit the farmers with refrain from using the GM seeds. One of the biggest issues is the corn rootworm which has formed a resistance to GM crops in the last 14 years.
This article may take some time to digest, you may not agree with my stance before or after reading it. Which is fine I do not want that, I just want to spark some thought and discussion, maybe some insight into how things can be handled differently. Biodiversity activist Dr. Vandana Shiva is quoted as saying “In a period of climate change, the world needs a biodiverse system." The world is changing and we need to progress with it, and progress in the world not in a petri dish. We are told that the GMO crops will increase yield, but according to the FDA there are no commercialized GM crops that inherently increase yield. Also there are no GM crops on the market engineered to resist drought, reduce fertilizer pollution or save soil. But in many cases has proved to be a false promise. In some odd way given the changes in climate, attitudes toward food and attention to health concerns this is a "New World" it is up to us to change and progress with it. We all need to be aware of what we have on our plates, and what we are eating. It is our responsibility to become educated, and vote with your dollars. The major corporations are hearing what we are saying, Cherrios will now be GMO free as will many other food items. The article I am working on for this coming week is about the glutes, their importance, getting the to fire and training the glutes. We will all be butt men and women.
Documentaries, Trailers and Videos
The Future of Food , The World According to Monsanto, Genetic Roulette, The Idiot Cycle
Vandana Shiva on GM Food & Monsanto
Bitter Seeds Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZtKB_KuASc
John Joseph on GMOS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qs7jXUam79w
Sites
http://www.nongmoproject.org
http://www.march-against-monsanto.com
Bibliography
1 http://classes.soe.ucsc.edu/cmpe080e/Spring05/projects/gmo/negative.htm
