Food safety: GMO

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

Irina Vladimirovna Doctor of Biological Sciences, international expert on environmental and food security, vice-president of the Academy of Geopolitical Problems.

Recorded on the air on January 29, 2016 on the People's Slavic Radio - "Food Security: GMOs"

Main co-host - Irina Vladimirovna Ermakova

I. V. Ermakova in 2005-2010 conducted research at the Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences to test the effect of feed containing GM soy (line 40.3.2) on laboratory rats and their offspring. This line of GM soybeans has been widely used in food products.

The findings shocked researchers. In the course of the experiments, pathology of internal organs in animals, a violation of hormonal balance, a change in the behavior of animals, a high mortality rate of newborn rat pups, underdevelopment and infertility of the surviving cubs were revealed.

In 2005. I. V. Ermakova applied to the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences to repeat her research. However, experiments on mice and hamsters were repeated only a few years later in 2 Institutes. At the same time, similar results were obtained: pathology of internal organs, underdevelopment and infertility of offspring.

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) - artificially created using genetic engineering - are of particular interest because they are used in food in many countries around the world. Most GMOs are obtained by introducing a foreign gene from another organism into the genome of plants (transporting the gene, i.e. transgenization) in order to change the properties or parameters of the latter, for example, obtaining plants that are resistant to frost, or to insects, or to pesticides, and so on. Further.

As a result of this modification, new genes are artificially introduced into the genome of the organism, i.e. into the apparatus on which the structure of the organism itself and the next generations depends.

However, more and more data appear in the literature on the deterioration of the physiological state and behavior of animals, it is indicated on pathological changes in the internal organs, impaired reproductive functions of animals and underdevelopment of offspring when GMOs are added to the feed.

In this case, both the transgenes that are used for introduction and the methods of introducing foreign genetic material themselves are important. For insertion of genes, viruses or plasmids (circular DNA) of tumor-forming agrobacterium are used, which are able to penetrate into the cell of the body and then use cellular resources to create many copies of their own or to be introduced into the cellular genome (as well as "jump out" of it) (World scientific statement …, 2000).

Scientists have repeatedly spoken about the unpredictability of the action and the danger of GM organisms. In 2000, the World Scientists Statement on the Dangers of Genetic Engineering was published (WorldScientistsStatement …, 2000), and then the Open Letter of Scientists to the governments of all countries on the introduction of a moratorium on the distribution of GMOs, which was signed by 828 scientists from 84 countries of the world (Openletter …, 2000).

Now these signatures are more than 2 million.

Pathological changes in the internal organs of laboratory animals were revealed by British researchers when GM-potatoes were added to the feed (Pusztai, 1998, Ewen, Pusztai, 1999), Italian and Russian scientists - GM-soybeans (Malatestaetal., 2002, 2003; Ermakova et al., 2006-2010), Australian colleagues - GM peas (Prescottetal., 2005), French and Austrian colleagues - GM maize (Seralinietal., 2007; Velimirovetal., 2008). There have been works by German and English scientists who pointed to the link between GMOs and cancer (Doerfler, 1995; Ewen & Pusztai, 1999).

A recently published study by French scientists (Seralinietal., 2012, 2014) provides data on the occurrence of malignant tumors in rats fed with GM corn (line NK603). There are currently more than 1,300 known studies on the dangers of GMOs.

From different countries, reports began to come in about the death of livestock fed with GM feed. There are data on the death of 20 cows in France, on the decrease in pig offspring and infertility of cows in Canada. Particularly striking was the information received from the German farmer Gottfried Glockner, who lost his entire herd of cows after feeding them transgenic Bt corn, which he himself raised. GMO has a negative impact on the natural environment, causing soil degradation, sterility and death of living organisms.

Trying to protect themselves from GM crops, many countries have followed the path of complete rejection of GMOs or the organization of GMO-free zones (GMO-free zones) (Kopeikina, 2007, 2008).

Currently, 38 countries are known that have officially abandoned GMOs, including Russia.

In January 2015. the Russian government approved a bill banning GMOs.

However, the law has not yet been adopted due to the strong lobby of those interested in making profits and scientific grants for the creation and distribution of GMOs.

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