Why GMOs are Bad for American Society Despite Their Benefits
In the average day, Americans fifteen and older spend about sixty seven minutes eating. This is high in comparison to other countries, but it is a staple of American culture to have three healthy, fresh, and happy meals a day. But hardly any American family knows exactly from where their food comes! Do genetically modified organisms (GMOs) truly benefit American society? What about the effects they have on health or the effects these “enhanced” crops have on the environment? Why GMOs are bad? The essay will briefly analyze why, even if GMO crops have many advantages, their use would be hasty.
GMO foods are produced by altering an organism’s DNA via genetic engineering. GMO foods are typically designed to have higher resistance to diseases and have more nutrition. The fact remains that the direct effects of GMOs are wild cards; however, it’s well known that the large amounts of herbicides, pesticides and fungicides required to maintain these crops are toxic and negatively impact human health. Over eighty percent of GMO crops are engineered and grown herbicide resistant. So it makes sense that herbicide use has “increased fifteenfold” from the day GMOs were brought in. Another concerning tidbit found by the World Health Organization was “that the herbicide glyphosate (the key ingredient in Roundup®) is “probably carcinogenic to humans” (Non GMO Project). Not only do the herbicides used to protect GMO crops safe have cancer causing ingredients, but the crops themselves have brought a wave of “superweeds” and “superbugs” that are only killed with “toxic poisons such as 2,4-D (a major ingredient in Agent Orange)”. Combined with the fact that genetic engineering isn’t perfect and the large quantities of toxic chemicals used, we should give GMO a second thought.
It is reasonable to limit the use of GMO foods not only because of the harmful effects they might have on us, but also because they could quite possibly destroy our future as we know it. We need to have a varied diet but GMO prevents that because it removes any natural variation which in turn creates one dimensional foods. In addition to being toxic, GMO crops crossbreed with natural plants aggressively taking over. Soon all the food in America will be GMO. Large corporations, such as Monsanto, have patents for these GMO crops so they essentially control our food supply. In other words, these corporations have a monopoly over our food. They have the final say in what, when and how we eat. If it continues like this, everyone will suffer and be confined to the only option available, GMO.
On one hand there isn’t concrete evidence that GMO is lethal, on the other hand they aren’t regulated by laws and research can’t determine if there are unintentional consequences of genetic engineering, especially for long term consumption of it. Once released into the environment, these organisms can’t be taken back. We need to be certain of the effects of GMO. Until scientific research and multi billion corporations, like Monsanto, can answer those questions with one hundred percent certainty with actual proof that GMO is safe for human consumption, it will be difficult for most to distinguish between right and wrong on the specific topic of GMO technology and products.
