The Purity of Environment and Food

Crammed Down Our Throats

There once was a time where we could trust the purity of environment and food we produced. Now we live in a time where corporations rule the economic landscape and their only goal is to make money. We, as a public, are forced into unsavory living environments by the very people and government that we rely on to protect us. How many people were affected by lead-poisoning? Lead was used in many products including paint and gasoline as many people know, and it was in the product to make it perform better. How long did the people in power know we were being exposed to a hazardous substance? How many corporate bonuses were paid to executives that developed and promoted ‘safe’ medications that have caused other health maladies like some of the prenatal drugs from the 1970s that are now illegal? In the writing of Rachel Carson opened the door to writing out against such injustices.

Technology pushes forward, continually striving to solve the needs of humanity. Food, our greatest necessity behind water, is something not to be taken lightly. In our pursuit to feed the feed the world cheaper and faster, science has already been modifying our crops at the genetic level. Scientists thus developed a process to the genes to produce the desired results from the organism, like insect resistant strains of wheat. These foods are called Genetically Modified Organisms, or GMOs. A GMO, as defined by the World Health Organization, are organisms in which the genetic material (DNA) has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally (Nelson 2001). Proponents say the foods are safe, but the entities declaring the safety of the food are the entities producing the food itself. Would you buy a car based on how safe its manufacturer claims the car is or how an independent observer rates the safety? Foods are not required to be labeled by the FDA if they contain Genetically Modified Organisms, or GMOs. In the spirit of Rachel Carson, I ask, are we demanding and are we receiving the facts we need to make choices about the short and long-term health and environmental impacts of Genetically Modified Organisms, or are we being 'fed little tranquilizing pills of half-truth?’ What does the government require of GMO technology, what does the U.S. food industry require before GMOs go into the food stream, and how are GMOs being received by the world community.

GMO foods are only tested for the plants’ growth factor, development of the plant, and if the organisms cause any immunity problems. A large number of scientists would like to see GMO foods tested in other areas that directly affect human health (Connel, 2013). Some of these tests include: are the nutrients affected; does it cause human allergies; does the gene alteration cause toxicity in the organism; and how does the contamination of natural plants by GMOs affect the long term viability of the organisms? We already know