If you are a registered voter in California and want to know whether your food is genetically modified (GM) or not, vote “Yes” on Proposition 37 this November. Consumers in over 50 countries, including Australia, China, Japan, India, Russia and member countries of the European Union, are allowed to know if their food in genetically modified so why not people in the U.S.? The reason this information is denied to us is because big companies pay big money to influence our politicians against the public interest. Polls have shown that a significant majority of people here would like to know if their food is genetically modified but Congress has done nothing to ensure it.
Now, in California this November, the people will finally have a say on the matter. Over 1 million signatures have been gathered from concerned voters to put the proposition on the ballot. It is imperative, for our health and for that of our children, that we approve Proposition 37 in November.
It has become increasingly clear that genetically modified food represents a growing threat to the public health, not only from the gene manipulation but also from the effects of intensive pesticide and herbicide spraying of GM crops ( Smith, 2007 ). Over 90 percent of the soybean crop in the United States is genetically modified to resist treatment with the herbicide Roundup. Not surprisingly, the crop is heavily sprayed as a result. Roundup is able to get inside the plants and once inside it cannot be washed off. It is transported to the sites of growth and reproduction. Now, nature is fighting back and the spraying has resulted in the development of Roundup – resistant weeds which are becoming more abundant. The farmers’ response has been to further intensify their spraying, so that even more Roundup contaminates the crops. What are the consequences of this for the public health?
The safety testing of chemicals used in commerce in the United States is woefully inadequate. Here, the onus is on the U. S. Government to prove that these chemicals are safe and not on the manufacturers. Monsanto, the company that makes Roundup, claims that it is safe but they also said the same about another one of their products, Agent Orange, and look at how toxic that proved to be. If Monsanto is claiming that their herbicide and GM crops are perfectly safe then why are they spending over $4 million on advertising aimed at defeating Prop. 37 and denying us the right to know if our food is genetically-modified or not?
Most of the animal studies involving the safety of Roundup and GM produce have been performed over a short period. However, in September 2012, the findings of a French study in which rats were exposed to Roundup and genetically-modified corn for up to two years were published online in the peer-reviewed journal, Food and Chemical Toxicology (2). The results were quite shocking. Mortality rates were higher in rats exposed to Roundup and the GM corn. In female rats, the increased mortality was due to the growth of large mammary tumors and to deranged pituitary gland function. Male rats developed liver congestion and necrosis, and large palpable tumors. Severe kidney failure was evident in both sexes. The French Government has called for an official investigation. In view of these findings, don’t you think we have every right to know if our food is genetically modified or not. Vote “Yes” on Proposition 37 in November.
© Christopher J. Jones, M.Sc., Ph. D
References.
1. Smith, J. M. (2007) Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods. Pp 312, Chelsea Green Publishing, Vermont.
2. Seralini, G. et al. (2012) Long Term Toxicity of a Roundup Herbicide and a Roundup-tolerant Genetically Modified Maize. Food and Chemical Toxicology, http://www.iatp.org/files/GMOtoxicityreport.pdf
Comments on this entry are closed.