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Natalia Veach

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Professor Maenhardt
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English 1010
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8 October 2015

GMO Unknowns

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Have you ever wondered what GMOs really are? GMO stands for Genetically Modified
Organisms. No one wants to be eating something that is supposably healthy and natural when in
reality it has been altered by man. Organizations need to come up with an alternative solution,
because GMOs are secretly harming humans. Not a lot of people are informed or know that food
can be genetically modified. Other Countries are very aware of GMOs, and are actually banning
them. America needs to come together and band GMOs, or require better labeling so that
innocent bystanders can be aware about what they are consuming.
To get a better feel for what a GMO food really consists of we have to look at what
happens in the lab. An article on HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology explains what really
goes into making GMO foods: To make a genetically modified organism, three main
components are required: the gene you want to transfer, the organism you want to put it into
(target species), and a vector to carry the gene into the target species cells. Sounds way to
complicated for a simple food that should just be planted, taken care of, picked, and then ready to
be eaten and enjoyed. No food should have to go through the GMO process, anything being
genetically modified is likely unhealthy to be consumed.
According to the non-GMO project Most developed nations do not consider GMOs to
be safe. In more than 60 countries around the world, including Australia, Japan, and all of the

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countries in the European Union, there are significant restrictions or outright bans on the
production and sale of GMOs. The interesting thing is America is not included in that list, the
non-GMO project also states that in the U.S., the government has approved GMOs based on
studies conducted by the same corporations that created them and profit from their sale.
Basically the U.S. is leaving what the citizens eat up to the citizen, unfortunately not everyone
are aware of genetically modified foods.
The Dr. Oz show actually did an entire episode on GMOs. Dr. Oz acknowledged that a
new report claims they can damage your health and can even cause cancer. (aired on 17 October
2012). The shows goes on to explain how there is a controversy on if GMOs are actually bad for
you, but as one of the guest speakers on the show states that there are thousands of Doctors
around the United States that prescribe non-GMO diets, and they and their patients are reporting
getting better from a verity of diseases very quickly. This statement only provides evidence that
GMOs can and are causing health issues. Its not surprising that citizens have lost trust in our
Government officials regarding GMOs, since they are allowing genetically modified food to be
an accepted form of nutrition.
Not all people agree, though. As Pamela Bailey explains in her article GMOs Are
Nothing to Fear there has never been a single credible scientific study showing GMOs to have
harmful effects on humans, animals or our environment. Clashing point of views with the
above articles, especially with the non-GMO project:
Over 80% of all GMOs grown worldwide are engineered for herbicide tolerance.
As a result, use of toxic herbicides like Roundup has increased 15 times since
GMOs were introduced. GMO crops are also responsible for the emergence of

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super weeds and super bugs: which can only be killed with ever more toxic
poisons like 2,4-D (a major ingredient in Agent Orange).
Reading this shows the contradicting problems with GMOs, and make it extremely difficult to
know which is true. After a significant amount of research, their was a lot more studies resulting
in the negative affects that GMOs have, then that of positive. Pamela Bailey also claims that
Farmers have been using GMOs for nearly 20 years, and between 70 percent and 80 percent of
the food you consume contains GM ingredients. The use of this technology ensures farmers can
grow more food, fend off infestations and recover from drought faster.
Yes, Genetically Modified Organisms have been around for a very long time, but since
they have been around for so long how do we know GMOs arent the cause of so many health
risks? Their are so many health problems with no explanation to what causes them, maybe it is
the consumption of GMOs. Pamela also argues that Genetic modification is a safe and effective
way to make America's crops resistant to drought and pestilence, and it helps ensure the country
produces enough food to feed our families and the world, especially developing nations.
Although it may feed more mouths, which is something agreed upon by many people. It doesn't
justify the fact that the over all process of Genetically Modifying natural Organisms is
unhealthy.
Along the lines of the article GMOs Are Nothing to Fear Stefaan Blancke writes Why
people oppose GMOs Even Though Science Says They Are Safe. After analyzing this article,
something that stood out was when Stefaan Blancke wrote
By tapping into intuitions and emotions that mostly work under the radar of
conscious awareness, but are constituent of any normally functioning human

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mind, such representations become easy to think. They capture our attention, they
are easily processed and remembered and thus stand a greater chance of being
transmitted and becoming popular, even if they are untrue. Thus, many people
oppose GMOs, in part, because it just makes sense that they would pose a threat.
This statement makes a good argument, but it doesnt make sense. GMOs aren't
perceived as bad just because it is easy to believe so. When you put DNA from an organism (A)
into another (B) there are bound to be risks involved. Genetics are very complicated and can
have problems scientist cannot see, and then they put that same issue into another organism. It
just sound like it can always turn out correctly. Many of the above articles and statements are all
supporting the controversy that GMOs are causing significant risks effecting the health of the
environment and humans.
In conclusion things that have been altered by man that shouldn't be changed, can come
with risks. Not everyone can agree on this statement, but for a good part of the research involved
for this essay, most would agree that GMOs need an alternative solution. Ever so often an article
siding with GMOs would come up and it would be interesting to read, because what was read in
the cons towards GMOs was also found in the pros towards GMOs, causing a lot of confusion.
Genetically Modified Organisms have caused a lot of controversy in the food and health
industries. Hopefully all this controversy and arguing over this topic will stir up awareness for
the consumers that have no idea about GMOs. They deserve to know what is in their food, and
to know that it can be causing short-term and even long-term risks, as stated in most of the above
quotations.

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