Saturday, May 3, 2014

Health risks of GMO crops still unknown | The Register-Guard | Eugene, Oregon

Health risks of GMO crops still unknown | The Register-Guard | Eugene, Oregon:



Some myths about GMOs, and a silver lining. First: The myth of "proven safe." Studies of GMO foods and feeds from around the world show that questions of risk to health have not been resolved. Here in the United States we are told that GMOs are known to be safe. Studies from elsewhere are mixed and seem to tell a different story.
A study in France showed that Bt toxin kills human kidney cells. A study in Egypt found abnormalities in livers, kidneys and spleens of rats fed on Bt corn. A study in Norway found high levels of glyphosate (Roundup herbicide) and its breakdown products in GMO soy. Glyphosate is actually taken up by and into the plant and can remain in the food. A study in Brazil found 32 differently expressed proteins between Mon 810 (GMO) corn and equivalent non-GMO corn.
Recently, scientists have discovered that there is a second code "hidden" in the DNA. These pieces of DNA that are moved between species contain more than one set of genetic instructions, and at least one of these sets is new to science. This simply points out how little we actually know.
Second: The myth of "substantial equivalence." Regulatory agencies in the United States base their GMO food safety testing requirements on what is called "substantial equivalence." The concept is that if a new food is substantially the same as an already existing food, it can be treated the same way as the existing food with respect to safety testing. This designation has allowed GMOs to bypass the more thorough testing required of "new" foods.

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