A
new study
in France has found genetically modified maize to have devastating
effects on the health of lab rats — which could indicate risks for other
biological creatures, including humans. For two years, these rats were
fed a diet of 33% genetically modified corn developed by Monsanto. The
results are horrific. The rats “developed tumours the size of ping-pong
balls, liver damage and digestive problems” according to the study.
This could be enough for France to convince the entire European Union
to ban the production of the genetically modified corn, specifically
called “NK603,” if the French health agency Anses can back up the
findings of the study. Russia has already called for a temporary ban on
the product. Though an initial review by the European Food Saftey
Authority rejects the study's findings on the basis of inadequate
details on its procedures, a final review will take place next month,
giving researchers time to present more on the study's specific designs.
"For the past decade, EFSA has consistently sided with the biotech
industry and disregarded health or environment concerns about
genetically modified crops. Instead of picking holes in peer-reviewed
research, they should take public concerns seriously," said Friends of
the Earth campaigner Mute Schimpf.
For the past two decades, GMOs — which are “generally regarded as
safe” by the FDA — have been making their way into a significant portion
of the food the world consumes, despite the fact that their short and
long-term impacts on human health have been surrounded by a big blank
question mark.
Actually, there are a lot of upsides to genetically modified
organisms. These plants have the ability to withstand herbicides — which
can greatly increase crop yields and therefore profits. The benefits
don’t stop there though. Common crops like rice can be made to have the
ability to produce extra nutrients and tobacco plants can be turned into
efficient producers of biofuel. With just a little tampering of DNA,
the possibilities are practically endless. This kind of technology
provides a solution to struggling economies, rural areas, developing
countries and global poverty. According to the
World Health Organization,
“No effects on human health have been shown as a result of the
consumption of such foods by the general population in the countries
where (GMFs) have been approved.”
But now that the picture is being slowly filled in with viable
information on what turns out to be extremely detrimental to biological
organisms everywhere, even more questions are being raised — why hasn’t
there been extensive research on this before GMOs became widespread? Why
has it taken so long to initiate these research initiatives? And
moreover, are these results found in Europe going to change the way that
U.S. policy makers approach the very GMOs that comprise the majority of
the U.S. produce market?
In California, a bill is being pushed for to label products that have
been bio-genetically engineered, but agribusinesses like Monsanto are
pouring millions into stopping these campaigns. It’s clear that they
have a desire to keep certain things under wraps. After all, agriculture
is a very profitable business.
With most of America’s produce subsidies
going to corn farmers, and most of these corn strains of a genetically
modified variety, it’s easy to see how dramatic the domino-effect will
be if consumers concerned themselves with the emerging truth.
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