tagged w/ Genetically Modified
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Disturbing new research published in the Journal of Applied Toxicology indicates that genetically modified (GM) crops with “stacked traits,” that is, with multiple traits such as glyphosate-herbicide resistance and Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) insecticidal toxins engineered together into the same plant, are likely far more dangerous to human health than previously believed, due to their synergistic toxicity.
Resistance to glyphosate, the active ingredient in the herbicide Roundup, has been engineered into many GM plants, so that fields can be sprayed indiscriminately with herbicide without destroying the crops. While the GM glyphosate-resistant plants survive, they subsequently contain residues of glyphosate and its various metabolites (e.g. aminomethylphosphonic acid) that present a significant health threat to the public.
In this latest study the glyphosate-containing herbicide Roundup was tested on human embryonic kidney cells at concentrations between 1 to 20,000 parts per million (ppm). It was found that concentrations as low as 50 ppm per million, which the authors noted were “far below agricultural dilutions,” induced cell death, with the 50% of the cells dying at 57.5 ppm.
The researchers also found that the insecticidal toxin produced by GM plants known as Cry1Ab was capable of causing cell death at 100 ppm concentrations.
Taken together the authors concluded “In these results, we argue that modified Bt toxins are not inert on nontarget human cells, and that they can present
combined side-effects with other residues of pesticides specific to GM plants.”
These disturbing findings follow on the heels of recent revelations that Roundup is several orders of magnitude more toxic than previously believed. Only 5 days ago (Feb. 14) the journal Archives of Toxicology reported that Roundup is toxic to human DNA even when diluted to concentrations 450-fold lower than used in agricultural applications. This effect is likely due to the presence of the surfactant polyoxyethyleneamine within the Roundup formulation which may dramatically enhance the absorption of glyphosate into exposed human cells and tissue.
Full Article: http://www.occupymonsanto360.org/2012/03/14/new-research-gmo-food-far-worse-than-we-think-2/Disturbing new research published in the Journal of Applied Toxicology indicates that... more
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Who made The Stew’s weekly column of winners and losers, heroes and zeroes, foolish and fabulous, in the world of politics, news and pop culture? -- This week: Whole Foods takes a stand on GMO labeling, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren stands up for the little guy (again), the New York Assembly makes the right call, and Eric Holder is a weak-kneed banker-stooge wuss...
http://veracitystew.com/?p=49710Who made The Stew’s weekly column of winners and losers, heroes and zeroes,... more
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Camp's explanation of Monsanto’s seed racket is right on the money (as is his well-aimed jab at evangelicals who proclaim to love all things natural — where’s the outrage, people?!).
Preach it, Brother!
http://veracitystew.com/?p=48317Camp's explanation of Monsanto’s seed racket is right on the money (as is... more
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The jury is still out on the potential effects that GM (genetically modified) foods will have on human health. What the jury has come to a verdict on is that Monsanto is nothing more than a greedy, money grubbing, genetically-altered pile of shit!
http://veracitystew.com/?p=43132The jury is still out on the potential effects that GM (genetically modified) foods... more
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Political comedian Bill Maher weighed in on Monsanto and GMOs on the June 22 2012 episode of Real Time with Bill Maher - panel included Nick Gillespie, Rachel Maddow, Mort Zuckerman and Mark Ruffalo. Support the GM labeling measure in California this November!
http://youtu.be/csSw3fYnICcPolitical comedian Bill Maher weighed in on Monsanto and GMOs on the June 22 2012... more
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"Why hasn't the problem of honey laundering made more of an impact on national media outlets over the course of the past ten years? Why have they been, with a few exceptions, relegated to local news pieces replete with honey jokes?""Why hasn't the problem of honey laundering made more of an impact on... more
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A pot that will grow food for your family and the entire world from the comfort of your own home is now a reality. A breakthrough in food production, a single pot will grow food for an entire household. In less than a week, you can grow your own tomatoes, parsnips, peppers and greens without worrying about the well-documented health and environmental risks of genetically modified food. What’s more, famines will be a thing of the past and nasty supermarkets will die a natural death, as they should. So get your pot, some seeds and start growing.A pot that will grow food for your family and the entire world from the comfort of... more
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This short film from the STEPS Centre brings together an engaging cast of characters including a farmer, a scientist, a regulator and a seed policy analyst.
Each has a different view about how best to secure seeds for farmers growing maize -- Kenya's key staple crop - in drought-prone regions of the country.
The film shows the importance of informal seed systems, as well as formal ones, for food security in these areas. It shows how policy changes underway could have serious impacts on farmers struggling for sustainability in a changing climate.
More information: http://www.steps-centre.org/filmsThis short film from the STEPS Centre brings together an engaging cast of characters... more
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The Food and Drug Administration is set to approve the sale of genetically modified (GM) salmon to consumers and has said it has no plans to require the fish be specially labeled as genetically modified.
This is the same FDA that doesn’t allow growers and sellers of natural products to tout the health benefits of some of nature’s best foods — like fruits and nuts — because doing so would make them a “drug” not approved by the FDA.
The makers of GM salmon claim that special labeling would only confuse the consumer, writes Mike Adams of Naturalnews.com.
“Extra labeling only confuses the consumer,” David Edwards, the director of animal biotechnology at the Biotechnology Industry Organization told Adams. “It differentiates products that aren’t different.”
But GM salmon is different from natural salmon. GM salmon has been genetically modified hence the name and has been shot full of growth hormones and other drugs to make it grow bigger and faster. It is so different, in fact, that the process has been patented, as Adams points out.
http://www.curiousbee.com/photos/Health/salmon_genetically_modified.jpgThe Food and Drug Administration is set to approve the sale of genetically modified... more
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As the Food and Drug Administration considers whether to approve genetically modified salmon, one thing seems certain: Shoppers will have a hard time determining whether the fish in the grocery store is genetically altered with no label to guide them.As the Food and Drug Administration considers whether to approve genetically modified... more
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Giorgio Fidenato's corn is genetically modified to resist pesticides. He has illegally planted Monsanto seed to force the authorization of genetically engineered crops in Italy.
http://www.4us2be.com/animal-plant-life/the-italian-battle/Giorgio Fidenato's corn is genetically modified to resist pesticides. He has... more
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A salmon that grows at twice the normal rate is set to be the first genetically modified animal available for human consumption.A salmon that grows at twice the normal rate is set to be the first genetically... more
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More than a third of U.S. managed honeybee colonies -- those set up for intensified pollination of commercial crops -- failed to survive this past winter.
May 27, 2010 |
This story also appeared on Civil Eats.
According to the recently released annual survey by the Apiary Inspectors of America (AIA) and the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), more than a third of U.S. managed honeybee colonies—those set up for intensified pollination of commercial crops—failed to survive this past winter. Since 2006, the decline of the U.S.’s estimated 2.4 million beehives—commonly referred to as colony collapse disorder (CCD)—has led to the disappearance of hundreds of thousands of colonies: Hives are found empty with honey, larvae, and the queen intact, but with no bees and no trail left behind. The cause remains unknown, but appears to be a combination of factors impacting bee health and increasing their susceptibility to disease. Heavy losses associated with CCD have been found mainly with larger migratory commercial beekeepers, some of whom have lost 50-90 percent of their colonies.
A “keystone” species—one that has a disproportionate effect on the environment relative to its biomass—bees are our key to global food security and a critical part of the food chain. Flowering plants that produce our food depend on insects for pollination. There are other pollinators—butterflies, moths, beetles, flies, and birds—but the honeybee is the most effective, pollinating over 100 commercial crops nationwide, including most fruit, vegetables, and nuts, as well as alfalfa for cattle feed and cotton, with a value estimated between $15-$20 billion annually. As much as one of every three bites of food we eat comes from food pollinated by insects. Without honeybees, our diet would be mostly meatless, consisting of rice and cereals, and we would have no cotton for textiles. The entire ecosystem and the global food economy potentially rests on their wings.
Experts now believe bees are heading for extinction and are racing to pinpoint the culprit, increasingly blaming pesticide usage. U.S. researchers have reported finding 121 different pesticides in samples of bees, wax, and pollen. New parasites, pathogens, fungi, and poor nutrition stemming from intensive farming methods are also part of the equation. Three years ago, U.S. scientists unraveled the genetic code of the honeybee and uncovered the DNA of a virus transmitted by the Varroa mite—Israeli acute paralysis virus (IAPV)—found in almost all of the hives impacted by CCD. Researchers have also found the fungus Nosema ceranae and other pathogens such as chalkbrood in some affected hives throughout the country. Other reported theories include the effects of shifting spring blooms and earlier nectar flow associated with broader global climate and temperature changes, the effects of feed supplements from genetically modified crops, such as high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), and the effects of cell phone transmissions and radiation from power lines that may be interfering with a bee’s navigational capabilities. (Last year, a study revealed that a contaminant from heat-exposed HFCS might be killing off the bees.) However, according to a recent congressional report on CCD, contributions of these possible factors have not been substantiated.More than a third of U.S. managed honeybee colonies -- those set up for intensified... more
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H&M and other fashion retailers have been selling clothes marked organic that were in fact contaminated with genetically engineered cotton, a story broken by the German edition of the Financial Times and rendered in English by Ecouterre.
The FT's investigation showed that nearly a third of products marked organic contained fiber from genetically engineered plants.
The retailers relied on fraudulent certifications conducted in India, which supplies half the global supply of organic cotton. Yet, it appears that even after the frauds began to be uncovered H&M and C&A continued to buy the cotton. Naughty H&M!
Consumers, however, are not the biggest victims here, as Ecouterre would lead you to believe; Indian cotton farmers are. The Indian government has backed the expansion of GM cotton, but it doesn't live up to promised yields and, at least according to one study, has more rather than less pest infestations.
If you're an organic cotton farmer in a sea of GM cotton, all it takes is one cross-pollinated plant for you to lose the organic price premium on your crop. It's easy to understand the temptation to seek out a lenient certification.
And, yes, the GM cotton in India is patented by Monsanto.
http://environment.change.org/blog/view/does_your_organic_tee_contain_gm_cottonH&M and other fashion retailers have been selling clothes marked organic that were... more
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jmsrmy
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added this
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3 years ago
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The website Food Freedom reports that researchers, in what is being described as the first ever and most comprehensive study of the effects of genetically modified foods on mammalian health, have positively linked organ damage with consumption of Monsanto’s GM maize.The website Food Freedom reports that researchers, in what is being described as the... more
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As a result of policies enumerated by the Coordinated Framework, regulatory control over GMOs in the United States was divided among different regulatory agencies. The consequences of such a decision was a myopic, and at times, haphazard regulatory control by each agency over GMOs. For USDA, this raises significant questions as to the agency’s ability to effectively regulate second generation GMOs.
http://gmo-journal.com/index.php/2010/01/05/doubts-about-usdas-ability-to-effectively-regulate-second-generation-gmos/As a result of policies enumerated by the Coordinated Framework, regulatory control... more
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Therese Yang, MD, FAAFP, a specialist in Lyme Disease, says, “I am very concerned how the GM foods are affecting our health...Therese Yang, MD, FAAFP, a specialist in Lyme Disease, says, “I am very... more
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WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration made history Friday as it approved the first drug made with materials from genetically engineered animals, clearing the way for a new class of medical therapies.
GTC Biotherapeutics said regulators cleared its drug ATryn, which is manufactured using milk from goats that have been scientifically altered to produce extra antithrombin, a protein that acts as a natural blood thinner.
The drug's approval may be the first step toward new kinds of medications made not from chemicals, but from living organisms altered by scientists. Similar drugs could be available in the next few years for a range of human ailments, including hemophilia.
The FDA cleared the drug to treat patients with a rare hereditary disorder that causes a deficiency of the protein, putting them at higher risk of deadly blood clots. The injectable treatment will be marketed in the U.S. by Deerfield, Ill.-based Ovation Pharmaceuticals
About 1 in 5,000 people don't produce enough antithrombin protein, according to Framingham, Mass.-based based GTC. As a result, their blood is more likely to stick together, occasionally causing clots that can travel to the lungs or brain, causing death. Half of patients with the disorder experience their first life-threatening clot before age 25.
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Pic from VegetarianOrganicBlog.comWASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration made history Friday as it... more
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Nettle
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added this
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4 years ago
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