The Real GMO Problem
by Brad Lemly
Dear Reader,
Pretty much everyone, I hope, has heard of genetically modified organisms, also called GMOs. And pretty much everyone, I hope, knows that they are now a major part of the American food supply.
Specifically, about half of all crops planted on American farmland are genetically modified, including 85% of corn and 91% of soybeans.
Most people, however, can’t say why this situation might be dangerous, beyond the idea that splicing genes from one species into another is “unnatural.”
That’s true enough, but here’s the fundamental issue — what’s the goal of creating GMOs? If it is boosting nutrition content, that worthwhile aim might be worth at least considering (though even here, there are likely downstream consequences that need thorough, long-term research).
But that goal is virtually never on Big Food’s GMO agenda. The first and most common reason companies re-jigger genomes is to help plants resist applications of potent herbicides, especially one called glyphosate (GLY-foe-sate), the key ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup.
The first glyphosate-resistant GMO crop, soybeans, came out in 1996. Resistant strains of corn, canola, alfalfa, cotton and sorghum are now common. GMO wheat is under development, but today, even non-GMO wheat is doused with glyphosate.
The touted advantage is that farmers can just spray it on and the crop lives while the weeds die, making harvest quick and efficient. In a few days, the glyphosate is said to break down into harmless compounds.
Unfortunately, every detail of this official narrative is suspect. Consider that glyphosate is:
•Everywhere in the environment: Paul Capel, an environmental chemist and head of the agricultural chemicals team at the U.S. Geological Survey Office, reported in 2011 that glyphosate was found in every stream sample examined in Mississippi in a two-year period. “This study is one of the first to document the consistent occurrence of this chemical in streams, rain, and air throughout the growing season,” he told the news agency Reuters. “It is used so heavily and studied so little”
•Inside human beings: In the first-ever test of glyphosate in human breast milk, “high” levels were found in three of 10 American samples tested. In Europe — where officials conduct far more studies, even though glyphosate use is lower — a 2012 study found the stuff in every urine sample it took in Berlin; another study found it in the urine of citizens in 18 countries. Such results suggest glyphosate bio-accumulates over time in tissues, despite industry assertions to the contrary
•Probably harming us: Glyphosate works by disrupting a metabolic process called the shikimate pathway, which is absent in all animals — that’s why its makers claim the poison is harmless to humans. But this pathway is found in bacteria, including the trillions of beneficial microbes in your gut. According to Massachusetts Institute of Technology researcher Dr. Stephanie Seneff, glyphosate is hardest on the most beneficial bacteria in your internal ecosystem. Suppressing those good bugs, she says, appears to allow pathogens to proliferate, leading to ramped-up inflammation and a host of chronic diseases
•Not even known to work: Glyphosate-resistant “superweeds” are rendering these toxic sprays useless.
A New York Times article describes how farmers were going back to weed-control techniques like plowing, as fast-growing spray-immune mutants like pigweed take over their fields. One agricultural scientist called the situation “Darwinian evolution in fast-forward”
•About to become more toxic: To overcome superweeds, Dow Chemical has created “Enlist Duo.” It combines glyphosate with 2,4-D, a component of the Vietnam-era “Agent Orange” pesticide that was linked to reproductive problems, non-Hodgkin lymphoma and Parkinson’s disease. The EPA has, you guessed it, granted approval. Dow plans to make $1 billion from this nightmarish combo killer, and hopes to start selling it in the 2015 spring planting season.
Bottom line: Virtually every human, animal, and plant in America is now part of a massive, uncontrolled experiment to determine if an herbicide that’s been widely used for less than two decades will cause serious health and environmental harm.
So avoid conventionally raised food as much as possible — especially anything containing corn or soy. Buy certified organic foods, as these do not contain products with GMO ingredients. Or, better yet, grow your own food as much as possible, organically, using nonhybrid seeds, and especially heirloom strains.
For more detailed instructions on what to look for (and what to avoid) when shopping for groceries, click here.
There is no better or more effective way to withdraw from the experiment.
Best,
Brad Lemley
Editor, Natural Health Solutions