NEGATIVE IMPACTS OF GM FOODS ON SOCIETY

PRESENTED BY-Sukanta Das

ROLL NO.-41

GM food stands for Genetically Modified Food

Organisms are made up of cells containing

genes, the hereditary material which is DNA

(deoxyribonucleic acid) in nature

GM food is food with genes modified. Genes

can be transplanted by taking out useful

pieces of DNA from one organism and

merging them with the DNA in another

organism.

TomatoCabbage

Pasta Plums

Maize

To improve the quality of food

To improve food production to feed the world

To strengthen the resistance against herb and pests

To cope better with climatic changes

To minimize the cost of production

To minimize loss during transport and storage.

HEALTH RISK

ALLERGIC REACTION

INCREASED TOXICITY

LOW NUTRITION

VIRAL ,BACTERIAL

ILLNESS

CANCEAR $ DEGENERATIVE

DISEASE

ECONOMIC,POLITICAL,SOCIAL THREATS ENVIRONMENT

SIOL IMPACT

PLANTS

TREES

INSECTS AND OTHER

ANIMALS

All gm foods that have been approved are considered by the government to be as safe as their traditional counterparts and are generally unregulated(FDA website).however, there are several types of potential health effects that could result from the insertion of a novel gene into an organism.

Most concern about GM foods fall into three categories :1) Human health hazards 2)Environmental hazards and 3)Economic,political , and social threads.

Health effects of primary concern to safety assessors are-

1)Allergic reaction :Many children in US and Europe have developed life –threatening allergies to peanuts and other foods . There is possibility that introducing a gene into a plant may create a new allergen or cause an allergic reaction in susceptible individuals.

2)Increased toxicity : There is concern that inserting an exotic gene into a plant could cause it to produce toxins at higher levels that could be dangerous to humans . For example , potatoes conventionally bred for increased diseased resistance have produced higher levels of glycoalkaloids (GEO-PIE website).

3)Lowered nutrition: A genetically modified

plant could theoretically have lower

nutritional quality than its traditional

counterpart by making nutrients unavailable

or indigestible to human.

4)Cancer and degenerative disease:IGF-1 ia a

very potent chemical hormone that has been

linked to a 21/2 to a times higher risk of

human colorectal and breast cancer .

Prostate cancer risk is considered equally

serious-in the 2,8,8. to times range.

5)Viral and bacterial illness:

a)Super viruses: Virus can mix with genes of

other viruses and retroviruses such as HIV . This

can give rise to more deadly viruses-and at

rates higher than previously thought . It is

somewhat similar to hepatitis b and HIV viruses

and pose immense danger.

b)Antibiotic Threat Via Milk : Cow injected with

rBGH have a much higher level of udder

infections . This hormone causes infections ,

farmer will use more antibiotics that may

eventually end up in the dairy products we

consume.

Environmental Hazards:

1)General soil impact:

a)Toxicity to soil : The majority of GM

agricultural products are developed

specifically for toxin-resistance-namely for

higher doses of herbicides sold by the largest

producer companies-Down , Bayer , Monsanto

etc.

b)Soil Sterility and pollution : It killed

essential soil nutrients , robbing the soil of

nitrogen and killed nitrogen capturing fungi.

2)Plants:

a)Super weeds : It potentially disturbing the

balance of nature which resistant to

butterfly , month and beetle pests.

b)Plant Invasions : we can anticipate classic

bio-invasions as a result of new GM strains ,

just as with invasions of the Kudzu vine or

purple loosestrife in the plant world.

3)Trees:

a)Destruction of forest life : GM trees or

“supertrees” are being developed which can

be sprayed from the air to kill literally all of

surrounding life , except the GM trees.

b)Terminator Trees : Monsanto has developed a

plans to creat more lethal tree which produce

toxic chemicals kill insects-destroying the

whoesale ecology of forest life.

4)Insects and larger animal:

a)Animal Bio-invasions

b)killing Beneficial Insects

c)Poisonous to Mammals

Economical , political and sociel threats:

1)Health/Environmental/socio-political Reasons

2)For Religious Dietary reasons

Add labels to the packages

Improve genetic modification technology

Genetically-modified foods have the potential to solve many of the world's hunger and malnutrition problems, and to help protect and preserve the environment by increasing yield and reducing reliance upon chemical pesticides and herbicides.

Yet there are many challenges ahead for governments, especially in the areas of safety testing, regulation, international policy and food labeling.

Many people feel that genetic engineering is the inevitable wave of the future and that we cannot afford to ignore a technology that has such enormous potential benefits.

However, we must proceed with caution to avoid causing unintended harm to human health and the environment as a result of our enthusiasm for this powerful technology.