Download Genetic Engineering - St. Tammany Junior High

Genetic
Engineering
And its
Issues
‘Genetic Engin-what?’
That’s exactly the response Mrs. Beach got from her
class when asked to do a Genetic engineering project.
Genetic engineering is the process of extracting certain
genes from plants, animals, or people and placing them
in other plants, animals, or people.
For example, if a farmer in Alaska wanted to genetically engineer a
potato so that it wouldn’t freeze, he could make it so by adding a
gene from a freeze-resistant animal or plant to it.
Genetic engineering has both positive negative sides.
However, there are more negatives than positive views.
My job is to show you the negative sides and what you
can do about it.
Negativity!
Genetic engineering is like ‘trying to perform heart
surgery with a shovel’.
No one knows the long-term effects of genetic
engineering and what it can do to us.
As a result of genetically-engineered bacteria in food, 37
people died, 1500 were partially paralyzed, and 5000
more were temporarily disabled in 2003.
Genetic engineering cannot be reversed, so whatever
we do now cannot be changed in the future.
Most genetically engineered foods have been approved
by the FDA and are on food stands now.
What about the animals?
In 2003, scientists at Illinois were in the middle of a topsecret experiment which included injecting cow genes
into pigs to increase their milk supply. After they were
injected, the FDA told the scientists to kill the pigs. But,
the 386 offspring of the pigs were sold to livestock
brokers, who then sold them to slaughterhouses. The
pigs were then processed and sold to markets.
How many hotdogs did you eat in 2003?
Food Concerns
Allergic Reactions- If you are allergic to peanuts, you
could have a serious allergic reaction to a geneticallyengineered food. If scientists inject genes from a peanut
into an apple without you knowing, you might die!
Food- Birds, insects, and other animals can carry
genetically engineered seeds into crops, which can cross
pollinate with other plants! Sooner or later, all of our food
can be genetically engineered without scientists having
to do anything!
New Diseases- Genetically engineered foods have a
tendency to contain certain genes that are antibioticresistant. These genes could make disease-causing
bacteria resistant to antibiotics, creating an invincible
new kind of illness!
Plants too?
Genetic engineering affects people and animals.
Did you know that they affect plants too?
Some concerns about genetically engineering:
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s Super Weeds! The
genetically engineered crops can cross-pollinate with
weeds, creating DDT resistant ‘Super Weeds’ that
might be difficult to control.
Threats to our food supply- Cross-pollination can
unknowingly create new species of plants and
animals. If these poison-resistant new species attack
food, we could have crop failures, resulting in
shortages of food.
More concerns for plants
On shelves now- These are some of the
genetically engineered foods that have been
FDA approved:
Alfalfa, Cheery Tomatoes, Chicory, Corn,
Cotton, Flax, Papayas, Rice, Soybeans,
Squash, Sugarbeet, and Tomatoes.
Did you know?
The United States produces 68% of the
world’s genetically engineered foods.
In 2003, more than 75% of soybeans
produced in the U.S. were genetically
engineered and then sold to markets.
In useless genetic engineering news,
during January of 2006, scientists from
Taiwan injected a gene from a jellyfish into
a pig to make it glow in the dark.
Well, what can I do?
You’ve heard all about genetic engineering and
its problems. Here are some things you can do
to help reduce its effectsLook for foods that are labeled, ‘GMO free’.
Almost all major brands of foods are
genetically engineered, so be cautious and
read the labels.
Some other things you can do
Some products, like Silk Soymilk, state on the
back of their carton that their milk isn’t made
from genetically engineered soybeans..
Eat organic! Organically-grown foods do not
allow genetically engineered fruits,
vegetables, and meat to be processed. So
eating organic will guarantee that you will not
eat any genetically engineered food.
References
http://www.safe-food.org/issue/dangers.html
http://www.sustainabletable.org/issues/ge/