Genetically Modified Organisms and Concerns of Safety - Research Paper Example

 Abstract The following discussion and analysis seeks to trace some of the relevant concerns and key issues facing GMOs (genetically modified organisms) that are prevalent throughout the food supply within the United States and many other nations throughout the world. Rather than being a policy paper, this particular analysis is intended to provoke thought within the mind of the analyst as a means of determining whether or not GMO is ultimately worth the risk or should be reduced and / or banned entirely from the food supply. Although resistance to change is something that is innate in almost each and every individual, oftentimes this resistance to change and predisposition to a level of conservatism act as a built-in evolutional mechanism that serves to protect the human beings from the unknown. True, humans have long sought to push the boundaries and experiment well outside the zones of comfort and recommendation. Such pushing of the envelope has given us the age of jet travel, space exploration, advanced science, and many other inventions and realities that we would not otherwise have. Yet, the fact remains that pushing the envelope and seeking to engage in something that is unknown is a process which only certain individuals within society have been comfortable at performing. Due to such an understanding, it becomes obvious that expecting all of society to engage in an activity that might be entirely outside of their comfort zone is neither ethical nor advantageous. This is very much the situation with regard to the use of GMOs within food supplies around the globe. With the rapid advance of science, scientists and researchers have been able to genetically modify a host of different plants and organisms as a means of tweaking the way in which they produce. This level of scientific manipulation has been able to provide the world with heartier and more productive crops; however, the fact of the matter is that the true levels of drawbacks that are exhibited within these genetically modified organisms are not fully understood. Due to the level of incomplete knowledge that exists with regard to GMOs within food, many nations around the world have banned them entirely. However, the United States and several other developed nations have not. As a means of analyzing the potential drawbacks and negatives that GMO might exhibit within a nation’s health and food supply, this particular analysis will focus upon several of these determinants and seek to provide relevant and up-to-date information as a means to prove why GMO should be restricted from the food supply until a further level of knowledge is able to be derived with regard to its overall health impacts. As such, the purpose of this particular study is to analyse existing research with respect to genetically modified organisms which will be reviewed and discussed at some depth within the literature review portion of this paper. Literature Review: Perhaps the first and most obvious reason that GMO food exhibits a clear and definitive concern to the human population is with regard to the unknown level of impact that GMO necessarily poses to human health. A 2010 study entitled “The Safe Foods Risk Analysis Framework” shockingly determined that very little independent research has been performed on GMOs to determine the level of impact, if any, that they might have with regard to human health (Haselkorn, 2013). Moreover, the study also found that seed company agreements forbid the sale or use of any of their seeds for the process of independent research, all but stymieing any attempt that an independent researcher might make in order to draw a level of inference with regard to whether or not GMOs are harmful, beneficial or neutral (Kuiper & Davies, 2010). However, the fact that seed manufacturers are so particular about including the caveat that their products cannot be sold or utilised for independent research sheds a level of particular doubt in the mind of the reader with regard to the overall health concerns that use of GMO might present for any society’s food supply. Moreover, another study indicated that the unknown that exists with regard to the use of GMO in food is the fact that many of the GMO food sources currently in the market have been proven to have a built-in resistance to certain types of antibiotics (McHughen, 2013). For instance, Amflora, a type of genetically modified potato, was recently tested by a European committee and found to have a gene specifically built-in to the potato that was predisposed to a type of antibiotic resistance. Although this particular type of genetically modified potato may have little or no effect upon the human being, the mere existence of an antibiotic resistant gene within genetically modified food is able to alert the reader that serious concerns about health may very well exist with regard to genetically modified food (Aleksejeva & Aleksejeva, 2012). Further, a 2007 study entitled “Safe Until Proven Otherwise” noted that one of the loopholes the genetically modified food has been able to leverage as a means of working its way into the food supply of the United States and various other countries around the world is the statement of fact that was issued by the United States FDA as early as in 1996 (Jeffries, 2007). In effect, the idea that allowed genetically modified food to enter the food supply the United States, and by extension many other developed nations at that time, was the understanding that the FDA utilised to approve genetically modified food. In short, the FDA declared that substantial equivalence, or the idea that “if a new food is found to be substantially equivalent composition and nutritional characteristics to an existing food, it can be regarded as safe as the conventional food” (Maghari & Ardekani, 2011). Although the reader can easily understand where the FDA was coming from with regard to promoting such an understanding, the fact of the matter is that those who are opposed to genetically modified foods are necessarily not of the opinion that there exists a high level of existing research which proved the genetically modified foods are harmful; rather, they are merely mindful and fearful of the fact that the sheer level of unknown which exists could potentially wreak havoc with regard to human health, and help the environment as a whole in the future (Fuerst, 2014). Another vitally important aspect of genetically modified food is with regard to the animal health concerns that are oftentimes left completely ignored. Komen (2012) referenced that whereas it is true that human health concerns account for the lion’s share of commonly discussed or researched issues within the field of genetically modified food, when one considers the means by which bees and other pollinators regularly interact with plants as a means of continuing the cycle of pollination and reproduction, any slight change could disrupts and potentially have disastrous impacts upon the way in which further plant life is exhibited on planet Earth (Maghari & Ardekani, 2011). Although it is merely one hypothesis, the fact of the matter is that it is at least tangentially possible that the mass death of the honeybee population may in some way be related to the use of genetically modified material. In short, until such a time that this is understood to a fuller and more developed degree, is the understanding of this particular author that GM no use should be suspended entirely. Another reason for concern that the authors noted is with regard to the fact that studies have been conducted which noted a marketed increase in the overall tonnage of pesticides used per acre of GMO crops as compared to per acre of non-GMO crops. In 2007 alone, farmers applied 318 million more pounds of pesticides as compared to the period prior to the introduction of any GMO into the system (Schwartz, 2013). This necessarily could very well have a disastrous impact upon the honeybee and other pollinators due to the fact that they are exposed to exceedingly high levels of pesticides that they were previously unexposed. Again, it is not possible to say that was greatly increased level of pesticide use that goes hand in hand with genetically modified material is definitively linked to the overall mass death of honeybees that is being witnessed around the globe, it should nonetheless be considered in a highly serious manner. Further, another impact of pesticides necessary to protect GMO food in the field is the fact that it is creating an entirely new level of super weeds. Just as the process of evolution demands that species must accommodate the changes or face extinction, the weeds that it been exposed to GM oh and the high use of pesticides are adapting and becoming more and more hearty. Berman (2014) noted that this creates many problems; not least of which is the fact that now that these weeds a resistant to the main pesticides and chemicals that are dumped on them each and every year, it necessitates that farmers will go to even more extreme lengths to poison them than they would have previously (Kaur et al., 2013). A tertiary level of impact is of course with regard to the greater environment. Just as with so many issues, the definition of what is GMO and what is not becomes particularly troublesome. For instance, consider a situation in which a genetically engineered crop goes wrong and is eventually labeled as an extraordinarily difficult to kill and hearty weed that begins an invasive process within areas that it was never intended to be. Human history is replete with instances in which exported plants and animals have had disastrous impacts upon other regions than they were originally intended to live, the reader can gain a level of inference with regard to the sheer horror of what such a situation might portend with regard to the level that human engineering of these plants may impact upon the environment at large. Also, the impact and means by which evolution takes place should not be discounted. Although we are only able to understand and evaluate GMO within the period of approximately 20 years at this point, the reality of the fact is that GMO can have potentially unprecedented and unforeseen consequences with regard to the environment in which it lives and is harvested. In short, these genetically modified organisms oftentimes serve as conduits to which certain other genes could move to wild plants which then in turn would become weeds in and of themselves. An additional concern that is not often discussed has to do with the secondary impacts of GMO. The secondary impacts of GMOs are sustained by creatures or plants that absorb nutrients from GMO organisms. As such, if a particular form of livestock were fed GMO and in turn slaughtered to feed dogs, cats, or humans, the secondary impacts of GMOs would then be felt by the individual or creature that consumes them. Currently, there is no existing scholarship that has been able to represent any potential changes with regard to the secondary impacts of GMO. This fact, in addition to the other concerns which have thus far been noted contribute to a fundamental gap in existing research and promote the researcher to focus in on the potential levels of understanding and inference that might be drawn by seeking to answer questions related to this primary issue of interest. Methodology: As has been made abundantly clear within a brief literature review for this analysis, a consensus among scholars with respect to the overall impact of genetically modified organisms is far from being determined. Furthermore, it is not the interpretation or expectation of this student that the research which will be engaged will be able to settle once and for all the debate over healthfulness or on healthfulness that genetically modified organisms represent food chain. However, with respect to the methodology through which the greatest level of inference can be gained, is the belief of this student that both quantitative and qualitative methods of existing scholarship serve as the best mechanism for drawing a useful level of inference with respect to the issue at hand. Accordingly, the methodology will focus upon a survey approach which will be provided to subject matter experts within the field of nutrition, pharmacology, biology, medicine, and agriculture/veterinary scientists; both within the public and the private sector. The underlying rationale for engaging with such a diverse group of subject matter experts with respect to a questionnaire concerning the overall potential health impacts of secondary genetically modified organisms consumption within the food chain and the individual has to do with the fact that the majority of existing research is focused nearly entirely upon the expert opinions of scholars within a limited field of study. As such, by expanding the level of inference that can be gleaned with regards to the understanding of gene flow and its potential health impacts, the underlying level of inference that can be drawn with respect to the impact of GMO upon broader society can effectively be maximized. Accordingly, even though this particular method might be somewhat unorthodox, it is the further opinion of this researcher that by carefully crafting the research questions and providing an exemplary and nuanced questionnaire, new levels of understanding and inference concerning GMO, its impacts, and the potential health concerns it engenders may very well be understood. Further, as research on this topic is all but non-existent, it is the further understanding of the researcher that seeking to answer this issue can drastically add to the body of knowledge that exists concerning GMO and food health/safety. Conclusion: Although genetically modified food is something that holds a great deal of promise it at the same time holds a great level of unknown and potentially leads to disastrous drawbacks. Although it is not the intention of this particular author to resist technology or improvements in the way that the Earth’s burgeoning population is fed in the future, the fact of the matter is that the use of genetically modified material to affect such an end is something of a very risky bet that cannot yet be determined with existing evidence. In such a way, it is the understanding of the analysis which is being conducted that due to the high level of unknowns, genetically modified organisms must necessarily be restricted to the testing only phase. Although the United States remains the most economically powerful nation in the entire world, it should very much take a cue from the likes of the European Union and many others which banned the importation and/or inclusion of GMO within their own food supplies. In such a way, the potential health and safety of generations can be assured as well as the potential health and safety of the environment in which such potentially harmful/scientifically mutated organisms would exist. References Aleksejeva, I., & Aleksejeva, I. (2012). Genetically Modified Oganisms: Risk Perception and Willingness to Buy GM Products. Management Theory & Studies For Rural Business & Infrastructure Development, 33(4), 5-10. Fuerst, M. (2014). Leukemia: Genetically Modified T Cells Continue to Produce Responses. Oncology Times, 36(5), 33-36. Haselkorn, R. (2013). Hard to swallow: do foods containing "genetically modified organisms" (GMOs) need warning labels?.FASEB Journal: Official Publication Of The Federation Of American Societies For Experimental Biology, 27(7), 2531-2532. doi:10.1096/fj.13-0701ufm Jeffries, A. (2007). Safe Until Proven Harmful? Risk Regulation in Situations of Scientific Uncertainty: The GMO Case. Cambridge Law Journal, 66(2), 276-278. Komen, J. (2012). The emerging international regulatory framework for biotechnology. GM Crops & Food, 3(1), 78-84. doi:10.4161/gmcr.19363 Kaur, A., Kohli, R., & Jaswal, P. (2013). Genetically Modified Organisms: An Indian Ethical Dilemma. Journal Of Agricultural And Environmental Ethics, 26(3), 621-628. Kuiper, H. A., & Davies, H. V. (2010). The SAFE FOODS Risk Analysis Framework suitable for GMOs? A case study. Food Control,21(12), 1662-1676. doi:10.1016/j.foodcont.2010.02.011 Maghari, B., & Ardekani, A. M. (2011). Genetically modified foods and social concerns. Avicenna Journal Of Medical Biotechnology, 3(3), 109-117. McHughen, A. (2013). GM crops and foods. GM Crops & Food, 4(3), 1-11. doi:10.4161/gmcr.26532 Schwartz, S. (2013). The great experiment: genetically modified organisms, scientific integrity, and national wellness. Explore: The Journal Of Science & Healing, 9(1), 12-16. doi:10.1016/j.explore.2012.11.004 Read More