Evan Song 11/14/13 Periods: 1/4

Genetically Modified Organisms

Have you ever wondered if the food you eat contains genetically modified organisms? Odds are it does. Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have benefits and disadvantages. The negatives far outweigh the positives. GMOs are harmful because they can cause disease and common health problems. They are also unpredictable. Huge multinational farming companies that use GMOs produce more crops at a lower cost. Smaller farmers growing normal crops with less money cannot compete with these corporations and are often put out of business. Finally, GMOs can harm other organisms. The world is better off without GMOs. GMOs are created when a scientist takes a desired gene and adds it to a normal plant or organism. The result is usually beneficial. The process in which GMOs are made is very interesting. First, scientists take the desired gene from an organisms DNA. The scientist then inserts the gene into a bacterias plasmid. A plasmid is a circular strip of DNA. Next, a bacteria colony is created using asexual reproduction. The scientists then take the desired bacteria and that creates the new and improved organism. These new traits help benefit the organism and anyone using it. For example, golden rice can now produce vitamin A. This is all thanks to GMOs. Genes and DNA are very important when making GMOs (A gene is a special strip of DNA). Genes and DNA determine traits. This is because genes and DNA carry the instructions for different traits. DNA has the instructions for mRNA (Messenger ribonucleic acid). The instructions from the DNA are then carried to the ribosome. The RNA leaves the nucleus and

delivers the code to the ribosome. The ribosome uses the code to build proteins out of long strands of amino acids. These proteins determine the traits of the organism. Proteins form the structure of organisms and allow them to function. GMOs cause diseases and common health problems. GMOs can cause heart disease, obesity, and even depression, states the highly-praised news program, DNEWS.com. According to the same source, GMOs make you more likely to get sick by slowly eroding the cellular systems throughout the body. In essence, staying away from these foods is going to allow people to live longer and happier lives. Other researchers suggest that tomatoes that contain GMOs are linked with cancer. GMO foods have a dangerously high level of toxins and are dangerous to humans (DNews, np). These are just a few of the reasons GMOs shouldnt be consumed or sold in this society. Although GMOs have a few benefits, they are unpredictable. Many crops can get contaminated by GMOs. According to DNews Over 80% percent of the organic crops in the Midwest are contaminated with harmful GMOs (DNews, np). Everyone hates weeds. According to the article Are Biotech Foods Safe to Eat? GMOss can create super weeds by crossbreeding with other plants. In the same article it states, GMOs can cause antibiotic resistant bacteria that can be fatal to humans. If this isnt bad enough there can be accidental contamination between genetically modified and non-genetically modified crops which can be harmful to the consumer without him or her knowing (Jones,2). As you can see there are many safety issues related to the use of GMOs.

GMOs are harmful not only to humans but to other organisms. Even insects can become contaminated with harmful chemicals, says, Genetically Modified Foods Explained (Britt,36). Can you imagine insects as far as the eye can see, infecting any crop in sight without anything to stop them? This is what will happen if scientists alter the crops natural state with GMOs. In the article, Longest Running GMO Study Finds Tumors in Rats, a study was conducted with rats to try and find any long term health defects with GMOs. The scientists fed the rats roundup-ready corn and here is what they found: After about 90 days, 50%-80% of the female rats had large tumors and in males liver congestion and necrosis were 2.5 to 5.5 times higher than in the control group(Philpott,13). In addition, GMOs are squeezing out small farmers, states Are Biotech Foods Safe to Eat? by WebMD. This is because all the big companies are producing more crops in less time with less work using harmful GMOs. This means that small organic farmers are out-manned and outmatched (Jones,1). GMOs create an unfair environment for many farmers. Although, huge corporations like Monsanto and Dow Chemical claim that GMOs are tested and safe. Some experts disagree. In one example, genetically modified animal feed that was not approved for use in humans was detected in a number of Kraft food products, says Are Biotech Foods Safe to Eat?. This means that the GMOs were working their way into food eaten by people. Some consumers reported having severe allergic reactions (Jones, 3). GMOs are most definitely not safe. In conclusion, one can see that GMOs cause problems and stress. GMOs can cause disease and common health problems. They are unpredictable. They put the pressure on small

farmers and they can be harmful to other organisms. These are just a few reasons why genetically modified organisms are a terrible idea. I strongly urge you to take a stand against GMOs. Join me on this journey to dispose of genetically modified organisms once and for all.