The difference with GM food is that once the genie is out of the bottle, it will be difficult or impossible to stuff it back. If we stop using DDT and CFCs, nature may be able to undo most of the damage even nuclear waste decays over time. But GM plants are living organisms. Once these new life forms have become established in our surroundings, they can replicate, change, and spread; there may be no turning back. Many ecologists are concerned about what this means to the balance of life on Earth that has evolved over millions of years through the natural reproduction of species.
In effect, by feeding this stuff to the American population without any long-term studies, we¹ve made the US one giant petri dish. Europeans who have banned GMOs (which ought to make you wonder about safety) get to be the control group of this planet-wide experiment. Anyone that says, ³oh, we know that this is perfectly safe.² I say is either unbelievably stupid, or deliberately lying. The reality is, we don¹t know. The experiments simply haven¹t been done, and now we have become the guinea pigs.
?A review of the science conducted under the International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development in 2008 concluded that ³there are a limited number of properly designed and independently peer-reviewed studies on human health² and that this and other observations ³create concern about the adequacy of testing methodologies for commercial GM plants.²
?Some have argued that we¹ve been eating GM foods for years with few observable negative consequences, but as we¹ve seen with things like trans fats, if often takes a while for us to recognize the health impacts. With GM foods, concerns have been raised about possible effects on stomach bacteria and resistance to antibiotics, as well as their role in allergic reactions. We also need to understand more about their impact on other plants and animals.
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