The trouble with Monsanto and GMO – Dr David Suzuki spells it out

Over at Red Green and Blue, I've got an article up about the problems of genetically-modified food (GMO).

If you're new to the issue, it's a good introduction to why GMOs (and the main company developing and promoting them, Monsanto) are problematical for anyone trying to lead a healthy life...

Excerpt:

I’m not a geneticist. If I say “We don’t know enough about this,” I’m just one guy. So I’ll let a geneticist answer those questions.

David Suzuki is a geneticist. He’s one of the top scientists in Canada, his textbook is one of the most widely-used in the world, he’s published more than 30 books. As head of the David Suzuki Foundation, he’s both a promoter of science and a popularizer.

So when David Suzuki speaks, I listen (see the end of this article for a list of sources). And David Suzuki says,

“Because we aren’t certain about the effects of GMOs, we must consider one of the guiding principles in science, the precautionary principle. Under this principle, if a policy or action could harm human health or the environment, we must not proceed until we know for sure what the impact will be. And it is up to those proposing the action or policy to prove that it is not harmful.”

It’s complicated

One plus one equals two. That’s simple. But one gene inserted into a complex chromosome may not work in a simple, linear fashion.

Transgenic crops are not simple products like widgets, ipods or even automobiles. They are living organisms that can interact with other creatures in the environment in myriad ways. Nature is complicated. When you modify an organism at a genetic level, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that the results are also complicated, and often unexpected.

…Science does not proceed in a linear fashion the way we write up our grant applications, you know—experiment A leads to experiment B to C to a cure for cancer. So all of the supposed benefits of our manipulations are purely speculative. We don’t know how it will all turn out. And then when we create new organisms, new products, and release them in the wild, in our food, in our drugs, we simply don’t know enough to anticipate what the consequences will be.

We don’t know…

The bottom line with GMO is very simple: We simply don’t have the science lined up to make any sort of blanket reassurances that GMO is really safe. Here’s Suzuki:

I’m a geneticist. What bothers me is we have governments that are supposed to be looking out for our health, for the safety of our environment, and they’re acting like cheerleaders for this technology, which… is in its infancy and we have no idea what the technology is going to do.

(Read the whole article at Red Green and Blue: The trouble with Monsanto and GMO – Dr David Suzuki spells it out)

More on Monsanto and GMOs:

• The Trouble with Monsanto and GMO – David Suzuki spells it out
• Why Genetic Engineering Is Dangerous
• Scientist urges USDA to rescind approval of Monsanto’s GMO alfalfa
• Monsanto blocks research on GMO safety, harasses scientists
• An alfalfa farmer explains why he sued Monsanto
• Monsanto employees in the halls of government
• Did the White House pressure USDA to approve GMO alfalfa?
• End of Organics? Monsanto’s GMO Alfalfa Approved
• Too Much of a Bad Thing: Monsanto Did NOT Buy Blackwater