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Chelsea Eom

Mrs. Klimas

English 10 Pre-AP, Period 5

16 January 2018

Current Environmental Issues

Belluck, Pam. In Breakthrough, Scientists Edit a Dangerous Mutation From Genes in Human

Embryos. The New York Times, August 2, 2017,

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/02/science/gene-editing-human-embryos.html

Cokley, Rebecca. Please don’t edit me out. The Washington Post, August 10, 2017,

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/if-we-start-editing-genes-people-like-me-mig

ht-not-exist/2017/08/10/e9adf206-7d27-11e7-a669-b400c5c7e1cc_story.html?utm_term=

.3282c70199db

LaJeunesse, Sara. The Science of GMOs. Penn State Agricultural Science Magazine, 2018,

http://agsci.psu.edu/magazine/articles/2015/spring-summer/the-science-of-gmos

GMOs, also known as “genome editing,” is the removing, inserting, or altering of DNA

using bacterial enzymes. Most Americans have minimal comprehension of GMOs, and yet

believe that GMOs are perilous. Some of the beliefs that GMOs may lead to health-related

problems may be due to an imperfect and later withdrawn examination, that claimed that feeding

mice genetically modified corn lead them to develop tumors. The investigation was greatly

discussed on the internet and social media, causing many people to be against GMOs. Only 37

percent of Americans believe that genetically modified foods are safe for consumption while 88

percent of scientist believe that genetically modified foods are safe to consume. GMOs are used
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to accelerate and direct the process of evolution, which is the organisms change over time, by

crossing, or selectively breeding organisms that exhibit preferable traits. A case of this that can

be seen in regular day to day existence is the household pet, dogs. Dogs were transformed from

wild wolves into a staggeringly diverse variety of domesticated canines with the help of genetic

modification. It all began in 1973 with an E. coli bacterium that was resistant to the antibiotic

tetracycline. This was the first GMO. More up to date procedures for making GMOs include the

transfer of genes from one organism to another with the help of natural enzymes, either indirectly

which utilizes a vector or directly which is with the help of a gene gun or microinjection method.

This isn’t new innovation seeing as though bacteria and viruses have been doing this for

centuries. Put into simpler terms, genetic modification is the cutting and pasting of desired traits

to create a desired beneficial effect.

Genetic modification is a developing wonder. The very first herbicide-resistant GMO

became available in 1996 and in a matter of ten years, the adoption of the GMO in the United

States went up by 90 percent. Contrary to popular belief, the majority of genetically modified

crops are not fed to humans, but rather to livestock. More than 95 percent of the 9 billion

food-producing animals are raised by being fed genetically modified foods, and studies

demonstrated that animal well being and development effectiveness enhanced while consuming

genetically modified foods. Safety precautions and regulations are taking place in order to

evaluate the dangers and advantages of each new GMO individually through a concept called

“substantial equivalence,” which is the idea that if a GMO is proved to be of likeness of an

existing food that it will be dealt with in a similar way. No respectable studies have demonstrated

any negative health effects of consuming GMOs. Great objection to GMOs caused the European
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Union to spend nearly $300 million, more than 130 research projects, more than 500 independent

research groups over a period of more than 25 years all to uncover that genetic modification to

not particularly more risky than conventional planting. When speaking of health risks of GMOs

themselves, scientists are still not certain of what they really are, but data does exist indicating

that herbicides used on genetically modified crops may have negative health effects. The health

effects are very minimal, but when used in moderation no big problems should occur. There is no

great underlying health risk of genetic modification but the widespread use is being prevented by

society. Science has aided in showing the risks and benefits of using genetic modification, now it

is up for society to decide what to do with the information given.

The Editorial Board. Why Label Genetically Engineered Food. The New York Times, March 14,

2013,

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/15/opinion/why-label-genetically-engineered-food.htm

In March 2013 Whole Foods Market announced that all of the genetically modified foods

being sold in their stores that are located in the United States and Canada are required to have a

label that states that they are genetically modified by the year 2018. This caused a great deal of

commotion by food distributors and food advocacy groups everywhere. While consumers have a

right to be informed of what they are consuming and any private company have a right to

demand and require for the suppliers to meet their labeling standards, some people feel that it is

unnecessary to go to such lengths to require food distributors to label their foods if they are

genetically modified because it will greatly affect their income and distribution rate. Whole
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Foods Market is not the only company that had a change in their labeling standards. Bills are

pending in several states to require mandatory labeling of genetically modified ingredients. Some

may say that consumers can already find products free of genetically engineered ingredients,

without having labels indicating when ingredients are genetically engineered, by looking for

“organic” foods, which are foods created by the tradition planting and breeding techniques.

Purchasing “organic” foods is the surest way to buy products that are free of genetically

modified ingredients of any kind. Others may state that consumers shouldn’t need to look for

“organic” foods but should be notified what foods contain genetically modified ingredients. The

only problem with adding labels that indicate when foods are genetically modified is that the

distributors will suffer greatly in terms of the number of products being sold.

There is no reliable evidence that proves that genetically modified foods are harmful in

any way. The Food and Drug Administration states that it has no evidence to conclude that

genetically modified foods present greater or different safety concerns than foods developed by

conventional plant breeding techniques. Many studies have been performed in various settings at

various times and the results are always conclusive. Genetically modified foods are not harmful

in anyway, but they are actually beneficial in that genetic modification creates more food with

preferable traits. An example being the Arctic Apple. The Arctic Apple is an apple that has been

genetically modified to stop from browning. Not only does genetic modification create more

quantities of the food and help the food have preferable traits, but some studies show that

genetically modified foods could be beneficial to one’s health and development. Thus, creating

little reason to make labeling compulsory. While the article states this, but one might disagree

and say that even though no evidence for genetically modified foods to be harmful are evident,
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consumers still have a right to know exactly what ingredients are in the foods that they are

consuming. One might also state that the government should educate society of genetic

modification and genetically modified foods to break the false negative outlook on genetic

modification and genetically modified foods that society has created for themselves. No evidence

that genetically modified foods are harmful is evident, yet society still fail to acknowledge the

benefits that come with genetic modification.