Some environmentalists and consumers feel that insufficient attempt has been made to realize the risks in the application of the transgenic crops, including their probable long-term adverse impacts. Some environmental and consumer-advocate organizations have demanded abandonment of genetic engineering development and research.
Many individuals, when faced with confusing and conflicting statements about the consequences of genetic engineering technology on our food supply and environment, experience a "dread fear" which inspires great concern. This fear can be produced by only a negligible amount of information or, in several cases, propaganda. With people thus worried for their health and well-being of our terrestrial ecology, the issues connected to their concerns have to be addressed.
People with food allergies contain an abnormal immune reaction as these are exposed to particular proteins in food called allergens. Approximately 2 percent of people through all age groups contain a food allergy. Most foods do not create any allergy in most of the people. Food-allergic people generally react only to a few or one allergen in one or two particular foods. A main safety concern increased regarding genetic engineering is the risk of introducing toxins and allergens into otherwise protected foods. The FDA checks to make sure that the ranks of naturally creating allergens in foods produced from transgenic organisms have not drastically increased above the natural level found in traditional foods. Transgenic technology is also being applied to remove allergens from the peanuts, one of the most serious reasons of food allergy.
Antibiotic resistance genes are applied to recognize and trace a trait of concern that has been initiated into plant cells. This method makes sure that a gene relocate throughout the course of genetic adjustment was successful. Apply of these indicators has raised anxieties that latest antibiotic resistant strains of the bacteria will emerge. The increase of diseases which are resistant to treatment through ordinary antibiotics is an important medical concern of several opponents of genetic engineering. The possible risk of relocate from plants to the bacteria is significantly less than the danger of normal relocate between us, or between bacteria and the bacteria that occur in nature within our alimentary tracts. On the other hand, to be on the protected side, FDA has recommended food developers to stay away from using indicator genes that instruct resistance to clinically significant antibiotics.
There is a belief along with some opponents of the genetic engineering that transgenic crops possibly will cross pollinate with interrelated weeds, probably resulting in superweeds which become more complex to control. One anxiety is that pollen relocate from glyphosate-resistant crops to interrelated weeds can show resistance to glyphosate. When the chance of this occurring, although exceptionally small, is not unbelievable, resistance to a particular herbicide does not indicate that it is resistant to some other herbicides, so concerned weeds could still be managed with other crops.
Some people are concerned that genetic engineering technology could conceivably develop a plant's capability to "escape" into the wild ecological imbalances or disasters. The majority of crop plants have major limitations in their seed dispersal habits and growth that protect them from surviving long with no regular nurture by humans, and these are thus unlikely to succeed in the nature as weeds.
Some environmentalists maintain that once transgenic crops have been released into the environment, they could have undesirable and unforeseen consequences. Although transgenic crops are carefully examined before being prepared commercially available, not every possible impact can be foreseen. Bt corn, for example, produces a very particular pesticide aimed to kill only insects that survive on the corn. It is found from a research that pollen from the Bt corn could destroy caterpillars of harmless Monarch butterfly.
Another concern associated with the probable environment impact of agricultural biotechnology involves the query of whether insects or pests could increase resistance to crop-protection characteristics of transgenic crops.
Environmentalists are very worried about loss of biodiversity of our natural environment. Increased adoption of traditionally bred crops increased similar fears in the past century that led to wide efforts to store and collect seeds of as many selections as possible of all most important crops.
Responsible policy makers, farmers, food manufacturers, and scientists identify that the application of transgenic corns should be considered carefully to make sure that they do not create any health and environmental threats, or no more than the application of present crops and practices.
About Author / Additional Info: