Are GMOs really

dangerous?

BS-12 Smilianets Illia

What is a GMO

A GMO (s. f. Genetically Modified Organism)

is considered to be any organism whose
genetic material has been altered using modern
genetic engineering techniques, usually to
achieve a desired set of properties for
commercial, humanitarian or other purposes.

Food and feed which contain or consists of

such GMOs, or are produced from GMOs are
thus called “genetically modified food or
feed”.
History of GMO

Generic food we see every day in our kitchens and

refrigerators mostly originates from plants and
animals that were domesticated and cultivated by
humans for several millennia. Gradually those
plants and animals with the most desirable
characteristics were chosen for breeding the next
generations. As an example, that was the case for
crops that yield more grain and were generally
more resistant to disease and local weather.
History of GMO

In modern days, it became possible to manually

modify the genetic make-up of living cells and
organisms using tools of a branch of modern
biotechnology called gene technology.

Given genetic material is modified artificially to

acquire a new property, usually resistance to some
new disease, tolerance to a certain herbicide,
improving a food’s quality, nutritional value et
cetera.
Most used Genetic modification methods

Genetically modified organisms are produced using

methods that include recombinant DNA technology and
reproductive cloning. In reproductive cloning, a nucleus
is extracted from a cell of the individual to be cloned and
is inserted into the enucleated cytoplasm of a host egg.
The process results in the generation of an offspring that
is practically identical to the donor individual. The first
animal to be produced that way was a sheep named
Dolly, born in 1996. There were multiple other animals
that were cloned that way since then.
Most used Genetic modification methods

The other method to Genetic modification is

Recombinant DNA technology, which involves the
insertion of one or more individual genes from an
organism of one species into the DNA of another. It is
much more common than any other method because of
its relative simplicity and usefulness.

Whole-genome replacement on the other hand, involving

transplantation of one bacterial genome directly into the
cell of another microorganism has been reported,
although this technology is fairly limited to basic
scientific applications.
Stated dangers of GMOs

● Toxicity

GMOs are arguably unstable. Each

introduction of a new gene to an already
existing genome needs to be precise and
done carefully, for major companies often
neglect safety regulations and focusing more
on sales than investing in stability of said
genome, which already resulted in some
minor threats to human health and wellbeing.

Mostly however, toxicity of a product is

more a result of usage of low quality
pesticides than genetic modification.
Stated dangers of GMOs

● Allergic Reactions

Genetic modification often results in a crop

producing a chemical which serves a certain
purpose, usually dealing with disease or a
herbicide of some sort. Newly produced
chemical can be allergenogenic, and the
research of such chemical is a process that
some manufacturers seldom ignore to cut the
expenses in genetic modification itself.

Thus defining if a newly introduced chemical

is allergenogenic by itself or combining with
those already in the product is an object of
undeniable importance.
 Stated dangers of GMOs

● Cancer

In USA, 1993, usage of genetically engineered recombinant Bovine Growth

Hormone (rBGH), used to induce dairy cows to produce more milk, was
approved by FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration). Perhaps of most
immediate concern for consumers is that the levels of a hormone called
“insulin-like growth factor-1” (IGF-1) are increased in dairy products
produced from cows treated with rBGH. In a following decade numerous
scientific studies revealed that IGF-1 was, in fact, not harmless, but instead a
very aggressive carcinogen, which was accelerating the growth of various
types of cancer.

In general, genetic modification can also contribute to the appearance of

some sort of a carcinogen. However, if according research is done properly,
such instances of safety neglectance can be easily avoided.
 Are GMOs really dangerous?

Having done my own research, I can decisively state that in fact, Genetically
Modified Organisms are dangerous if and only if according research on
product’s safety has not been done properly. I would also like to add, that
although instances of such neglect can still be seen, nowadays GMOs are
definitely much safer than they were a couple of decades ago. With constant
improvement in the field of genetic engineering, the dangers of GMOs are
positively disappearing, and the situation around health concerns is now
actively being resolved.

However, the conflict between eco-activists and major food manufacturers is

now almost purely political, with many instances of said activists being
funded by groups of minor food manufacturers who do not have access to
genetic modification technology.
Are GMOs really dangerous?

With the inability to compete against major food

manufacturing companies in genetically
modifying their produce, many local instances of
minor manufacturers advertising “non-GMO”
products as being inherently healthier and safer
than genetically engineered ones have contributed
to the global eco-trend, resulting in global masses
all over the world distrusting GMOs, and
companies manufacturing non-GMO products
now overpricing their produce with
understandable intent.
Are GMOs really dangerous?

As for recommendations concerning health risks

for GMO including products, I would propose
buying food and food related products exclusively
from trustworthy manufacturers.

And if you are biologically highly susceptible to

allergic reactions, it is recommended to take a
number of tests concerning most widespread
allergens, and avoid them in any product you may
encounter.
Thank you for your attention!