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GMOs ... Are They Harmful?
GMOs effect our lives and future daily in many ways un-notably, as we have GMOs in cheese, canned food, meat, chickens and almost every corn and Soya products, we wear clothes made of genetically modified cotton, we also have GMOs in vitamin pills, medications and vaccines, we live now in homes made out of genetically modified wood.
This technology wasn't completely tested or examined, it wasn't researched enough by any independent organization anywhere in the world. Because of the huge pressure practiced by multinational companies (MNCs) that produce GMOs, governments and many scientific institutions have found out that it is almost impossible to stop trade in such products. Many research information with different resources indicate that using GMOs is like playing with " dice" it depends on luck and coincidence.
Money is the blood that runs in veins of the GMO producing companies. The huge amounts of money earned and spent on research and production of GMOs cannot ensure providing third world countries with safe and clean food, and on the other hand, it is unable to improve the natural environment. On the contrary, MNCs earn money on the account of the poor and natural resources.
Many articles have been written about the negative effects of GMOs. We all must take part in stopping these technologies, or at least direct them for the benefit of people's health.
In the genetic engineering or modification process, genetic information is taken from any live source (plants, animals, bacteria, fungus or even viruses), after that they are injected randomly to any other biological series of what is called "DNA" regardless of any natural limitations to the other species.
Genetic engineering is not a natural process, and the companies that use these technologies don't respect the time that nature takes to develop, knowing that this development has been through three billion years.
Nature and humanity depend on each other, any sudden change in the DNA of any living organisms might threaten nature as a whole sooner or later. Laboratory researches showed that unnatural developments in the DNA might lead to cancer.
In 2002, the British Royal health Association has stated that pregnant women, nurses, children, aged people and people with chronic diseases must uses any food products that include GMOs.
96% of GM crops grow in the American continent, USA has the biggest share, then comes Argentina with 20%, then Canada 6%, Brazil 6%, China 3% and Paraguay 2%. Many countries grow GMOs in small experimental areas. For instance, papaya is grown in Hawaii, sweet potatoes in Kenya, pineapples in New Zealand, sugar cane in the UK, rice in the Philippians and cotton in Egypt and India.
More GMOs are continuously produced, which force farmers to buy new seeds every year from the producing companies, as farmers can't preserve any of the seed they use or produce for the next year. Many people say that this threaten the principle of food sovereignty.
Genetically modified rice in Zurich contains three genes from the narcissus flower and bacteria to increase the percentage of vitamin A, many companies have assured that this procedure will prevent many blindness cases and stop the effects of some diseases in the third world, while many independent experts have stated that the average of the daily usage of rice doesn't exceed 1% of human consumption, which mean that this technology is senseless.
What can we do regarding this unclear future?
We must carefully examine food products, we must make sure of the trademarks and brands of the food products, we must avoid any doubted corn and Soya products, we must take a step toward real participation in rural and anti-globalization associations to teach people what we know about these technologies, we must encourage restaurants, grocers and farmers to avoid using GMOs, in addition to following up all of the new and recent developments, raise farmers awareness about using natural nurseries (arboretums) and depend on their produced seeds in their farms which will help in safely producing clean food for everyone.