THE RISKS OF GENETICALLY MODIFIED CROPS

Environment impact:

No one has a crystal ball to see results caused by GM food in the future. The potential harm can far outweigh chemical pollution. The chemicals tend to break down into natural substances within months or years. A few may persist for decades. But genetic pollution can alter the life in the soil forever! Its for environment.

The GM food can also cause many terrible things for human health:

1. Allergens, allergic reaction.

Recorded Deaths from GM. In 1989, dozens of Americans died and several thousands were impaired by a genetically altered food supplement – L. This affair made Japan’s third largest chemical company Showa Denko paid $2 billion dollars for the victims. (Mayeno and Gleich, 1994).

Near-deaths from Allergic Reaction. In 1996, Brazil nut genes were inserted into soybeans by a company called PHB. Some individuals are so allergic to this nut, the allergic shock (similar to a severe bee sting reaction) which can cause death.

2.Stability of inserted gene,whether there is any nutritional substances changed in the GM food? GM crops are more nutritional than the general crops in some specific areas.But, at the same time, most of them lack some other healthy elements. These imbalanced crops like some powerful injections agaist our healthy balance. Human’s body is not a machine-like "something" that can be fed. We need some non-GM crops which is much more natural, balanced and nutritional for our life.

3. The GMfood is also not suit for weakness people. Potent chemical hormone, is linked to 400-500% higher risks of human breast, prostrate, and colon cancer. About 8% of children and 2% of adults have food allergies as tested by a special type of GM products. 15% of old people are not allowed to take GM supplement.

Let’s turn to social impact of GM food

1.New advances may be abused by big company only for interests. For example, some Less Diversity, Quality, Quantity and Profit GM crops are labeled with the high-tech marks for peolpe in the supermarket without any public assessment. Remember it, firm's interest is  always in selling…

2.Domination of world food production by a few countries. In china, there are 3.2~4.5 billion people are doing the work of farming and agriculture. Most of them are doing the troditional technology or organic farming. It is belived that the increasing use of GM in major crops has caused a power shift in agriculture in some developed countries. If it happened in china thousands of million people will lose their work. This is a big potential problem of social stability.

3.Consuner demand. Today the situation in UK is rather different. Almost all food in the shops is non-GM and it could be argued that who would wish to buy GM food who are being denied a choice. It seems very likely that producers and retailers will continue to obtain certified non-GM material to meet consumer demand. The 2003 EU labelling regulations are now even stricter than before,and consumers will definitely have a choice about whether or not they eat products of modified crops.

WORDS EXPRESSIONS:

1. allergens (n):Some bad reaction of  food, medicine, flora, and so on.

  allergic (adj)

2. shock (n): Near-death.

3.injection (n): Medical insert

4. organic farming (n): Farming techniques with many different seeds interplanted between rows, generally offer higher per acre yields than some GM farming. This applies best to the family farm, which feeds the majority of the Third World.

5. ecosystems (n): The circle of  vegetation and animals on the earth.

6. profound (adj): Means deep.

7. supplement (n): Something add in some substances.

8. breast, prostrate, and colon cancer: The cancer of sex organ of human caused by hormone.