Major Questions in Biotechnology - Essay Example

The genetic manipulation facilitates the production of carotenoids in the grain’s endosperm, thus giving it the yellow hue that gave rise to its name (Paine, et. al., 2005). Another example is BT corn, which genetically modifies corn crops to protect them from predatory pests such as caterpillars. Much controversy has surrounded biotechnology and biotechnology crops from the start.

Many critics argue that it worsens a lot of farmers rather than improves them because it creates a pattern of corporate dependence. Taking the BT-corn example, after some time, pests would develop a tolerance to modified strains in the corn crop and farmers will have no choice but to purchase new pesticides from the corporations at prices that will exploit their lack of choices. Environmental advocates, on the other hand, warn of the hazards of biotechnology on biodiversity and other life forms. For example, environmentalists assert that the corn that is keeping pests away is also killing the Monarch butterfly. According to Kloppenburg and Burrows (2001), “given the increasing commodification of science and technology and the reality of where purchasing power lies, it is naive to expect a new tool such as biotechnology ever to fall outside corporate control”.

Animals are used in lab experiments in toxicology to determine how chemicals interact with living systems before these chemicals are used for medicinal purposes on human beings. It is also important to determine the chemical levels that are beneficial and the chemical levels that are potentially toxic. That is the main reason that animals are used first – without this initial research, human lives may be compromised and medicines that are thought to be beneficial may yet prove to be harmful at certain doses. Because it is not possible to research human bodies, using animals in laboratory experiments is justified as a reliable way of ascertaining the risks to human health and the environment. However, research involving animals must be done responsibly to avoid any unnecessary cruelty to the animals and to ensure that laboratory experiments are done with the least possible damage to them or other living systems.

The dose-response curve refers to an x-y graph designed to measure the effects on a life form or organisms as a result of exposure to stressors or chemicals, tested over a given period and in varying doses. The objective is to determine whether or not a certain chemical is beneficial, the levels or doses that it is beneficial, as well as the doses at which it is already harmful. The dose-response curve is often used to aid in the crafting of environmental or health regulations.

LD50 is the dose required to kill 50% of a sample population within a given time frame. It is also called the median lethal dose. A low LD50 is dangerous because it means that only small doses are required to exterminate half of the sample. Conversely, a high LD50 is conventionally deemed to be safer. The problem however with this baseline is that it only measures death and not other toxic effects that do not necessarily lead to death.

I agree that the precautionary principle is an important environmental principle and one that should prevail over market considerations and free trade invocations. Scholars like Adler oppose the precautionary principle, as his problem with it was that it was not responsive to the threats of biodiversity conservation. In his words “it could increase risks to biodiversity by making it more difficult for farmers to feed a growing global population without clearing more species habitat” (Adler, 2002).