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You're assuming companies like Monsanto haven't made some other undisclosed alterations which are detrimental to health.

by Mordor 13y ago

leoedin 13y ago
Is there any evidence that this has ever been the case? I completely understand that people would be hesitant to embrace GM crops, but I've never really understood the "health" argument. Has anyone actually demonstrated that any GM crops contain chemicals harmful to humans?
- BrokenPipe 13y ago
  no but i guess it takes time to find out, and the studies are often financed by the companies like monsanto them selves. Which is not to say that they publish ALL these studies, they are not legally bound to. Shame.
- Mordor 13y ago
  I'm not saying Monsanto has done anything at all, but it would be odd if they didn't tweak their product a little.
  - leoedin 13y ago
    The meaning of your comment isn't particularly clear. Monsanto (and other GM crop developers) have tweaked their product. They've played with the genetics to make it roundup resistant or give it other desirable characteristics. They're pretty open about that. To argue that GM crops have health implications for humans is to argue that GM crops contain harmful chemicals at levels higher than their natural counterparts. As far as I'm aware, there's no evidence pointing towards this. Genetic modifications made to crops are done with a particular purpose in mind, and normally only involve very slight modifications to the existing crop's genetic makup. Given how widely distributed GM crops are and the level of scrutiny applied to the process, any harmful chemicals introduced as a result of the GM process would be noticed.
    - Mordor 13y ago
      Biology is more complex than a list of good vs bad chemicals, so you're assertion that GM crops are OK if you can't find any harmful chemicals doesn't hold up. We really need long term human trials and these aren't being done at all. Ria is trying to achieve this in fruit flies, which is better than nothing. Just watch the reaction of the media and GM manufacturers to her work, this should be telling ;-)

You're assuming companies like Monsanto haven't made some other undisclosed alterations which are detrimental to health.

by Mordor 13y ago

You're assuming companies like Monsanto haven't made some other undisclosed alterations which are detrimental to health.

leoedin 13y ago

Is there any evidence that this has ever been the case? I completely understand that people would be hesitant to embrace GM crops, but I've never really understood the "health" argument. Has anyone actually demonstrated that any GM crops contain chemicals harmful to humans?

BrokenPipe 13y ago
no but i guess it takes time to find out, and the studies are often financed by the companies like monsanto them selves. Which is not to say that they publish ALL these studies, they are not legally bound to. Shame.
Mordor 13y ago
I'm not saying Monsanto has done anything at all, but it would be odd if they didn't tweak their product a little.
- leoedin 13y ago
  The meaning of your comment isn't particularly clear. Monsanto (and other GM crop developers) have tweaked their product. They've played with the genetics to make it roundup resistant or give it other desirable characteristics. They're pretty open about that. To argue that GM crops have health implications for humans is to argue that GM crops contain harmful chemicals at levels higher than their natural counterparts. As far as I'm aware, there's no evidence pointing towards this. Genetic modifications made to crops are done with a particular purpose in mind, and normally only involve very slight modifications to the existing crop's genetic makup. Given how widely distributed GM crops are and the level of scrutiny applied to the process, any harmful chemicals introduced as a result of the GM process would be noticed.
  - Mordor 13y ago
    Biology is more complex than a list of good vs bad chemicals, so you're assertion that GM crops are OK if you can't find any harmful chemicals doesn't hold up. We really need long term human trials and these aren't being done at all. Ria is trying to achieve this in fruit flies, which is better than nothing. Just watch the reaction of the media and GM manufacturers to her work, this should be telling ;-)