Many health professionals around the
world have sounded the alarm on GE foods. The British Medical Association, for
example, has called for an indefinite moratorium on GE foods. [1] The
health hazards of GE foods include:
Allergens. The novel proteins in GE
foods can cause unexpected allergic reactions. For example, in 1996 researchers
found that soybeans engineered with a gene from a Brazil nut caused potentially
fatal allergic reactions in those with Brazil nut allergies. These
soybeans would likely have come to market if the researchers had not done more
investigation than requested by the product developer, Pioneer Hi-Bred.
Moreover, in this case, researchers knew to look for a Brazil nut reaction, but
testing for unexpected allergens is exceedingly difficult and
expensive.
Toxins. GE foods may have toxic
effects. For example, Monsanto's GE (or recombinant) bovine
growth hormone (rBGH) is
used in milk production, where it raises the level of Insulin-like Growth
Factor-1 (IGF-1). Studies suggest that people with elevated levels of IGF-1 are
more likely to get prostate cancer [2],
breast cancer [3] and
lung cancer [4] than
those with normal levels. [5]
Another example: GE potatoes were found to weaken rats' immune systems and
adversely affect their kidneys, thymuses, spleens, guts and brains. [6]
Antibiotic resistance. For technical
reasons having to do with the imprecise nature of gene insertion, most GE
organisms are also given a gene conferring resistance to antibiotics. [7]
Although these antibiotic resistance genes are only used early in the process,
they generally remain fully functional in the host organism. When eaten, these
foods could reduce the effectiveness of antibiotics to fight disease when taken
with meals. Another danger of this is that, although unlikely, it is possible
that antibiotic resistance could be passed to dangerous microbes, exacerbating
the current crisis of antibiotic resistant infection.
Nutrition. There is evidence that some
GE foods have reduced nutritional quality. For example, a 1999 study found that
beneficial phytoestrogen compounds (believed to protect against heart disease
and cancer) were lower in GE soybeans. [8]
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[1] "The Impact of Genetic
Modification on Agriculture, Food and Health", British Medical Association, May
1999.
[2] Science. January
1998.
[3] The Lancet. May
1998.
[4] Journal of the NCI. January
1999.
[5] Milk with rBGH also has
increased levels of antibiotics (because rBGH causes more frequent udder
infections in cows), which the U.S. Government Accounting Office declared a
significant health risk. No other industrialized country allows the use of
rBGH.
[6] The Lancet. May
1998.
[7] Since not all organisms will
successfully take up foreign genes during gene insertion, antibiotic resistance
genes are added to the foreign genes as a package. This allows engineers to kill
off the unmodified organisms using antibiotics.
[8] Journal of Medicinal Food.
1999.
