Tag Archives: pollen

GMO Safety

Are GMOs safe to eat?

There is no solid answer to this question because no irrefutable evidence has been presented that proves GM food crops are any less safe to consume than non-GM foods. The fact is that GM crops have not been in commercial production for an extensive period of time, therefore the health benefits/risks have not been researched to a point where a conclusive decision on their safety can be determined.

Source:  Slater, Adrian, Nigel W. Scott, and Mark R. Fowler. “Chapter 12: Science and Society: Public Acceptance of Genetically Modified Crops.” Plant Biotechnology: The Genetic Manipulation of Plants. Second ed. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2008. 316-42. Print.

Can the pollen from a GMO plant infect a non-GMO plant?

Yes, as long as the plant is related to the genetically modified plant and sexually compatible. To have a gene transferred to the non-GM plant the inserted gene must be present in the pollen. This has driven biotechnologists to take an alternative approach by engineering chloroplast genomes because, as is the case in many plants, chloroplasts are inherited maternally, not through the pollen.

Source: Slater, Adrian, Nigel W. Scott, and Mark R. Fowler. “Chapter 12: Science and Society: Public Acceptance of Genetically Modified Crops.” Plant Biotechnology: The Genetic Manipulation of Plants. Second ed. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2008. 316-42. Print.

Do GMOs have potential to create ‘super-weeds’?

Since there is public concern about the use of antibiotic resistance genes as selectable markers, geneticists have turned to using herbicide resistance genes as a selectable marker. This creates the potential for herbicide resistant “super-weeds” that are not able to be controlled by the traditional herbicides farmers may use. This gene transfer is possible if pollen from the transformed plant fertilizes the sexually compatible (non-GM) weedy relative, but this gene escape may be side-stepped by engineering chloroplast genomes that have potential to prevent gene transfer through pollen.
Source: Slater, Adrian, Nigel W. Scott, and Mark R. Fowler. “Chapter 12: Science and Society: Public Acceptance of Genetically Modified Crops.” Plant Biotechnology: The Genetic Manipulation of Plants. Second ed. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2008. 316-42. Print.

Do GMOs cause antibiotic resistance?

GMO crops can be engineered with antibiotic resistance properties which are useful when screening for transformed plants, although many scientists believe that it is highly unlikely that the genes inserted to the transformed gene will escape to bacteria (although not impossible). There is public concern that the gut bacteria of humans may take up these inserted genes, just like what happens in nature, but there is no solid evidence behind this theory and many scientists believe this to be highly unlikely to occur.

Source: Slater, Adrian, Nigel W. Scott, and Mark R. Fowler. “Chapter 12: Science and Society: Public Acceptance of Genetically Modified Crops.” Plant Biotechnology: The Genetic Manipulation of Plants. Second ed. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2008. 316-42. Print.

 Do GMOs cause allergies?

Once again, the fear of allergens in GM food crops is a main concern of the public that has not been supported by irrefutable scientific facts. A proposed allergic reaction to (insect resistant) Bt corn was said to have occurred in the Philippines by the villagers that consumed it, but this was not proven to be true and the sickness was speculated to have been caused by a virus. People interested in this topic should read peer-reviewed scholarly articles to determine the possibilities of allergic reactions due to genetically modified food crops.

Source: Slater, Adrian, Nigel W. Scott, and Mark R. Fowler. “Chapter 12: Science and Society: Public Acceptance of Genetically Modified Crops.” Plant Biotechnology: The Genetic Manipulation of Plants. Second ed. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2008. 316-42. Print.

How are GMOs regulated?

The main government agencies involved in overseeing and determining the regulation of GM crops in the United States are the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS); the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also plays a role in overseeing safety regarding pesticides. There are 6 criteria to meet before notifying APHIS of environmental release of a GM crop.

  1. The plant species must be determined. Example: Maize, cotton, potato, soybean, tobacco, tomato, etc.
  2. The transgenes must be stably integrated.
  3. The function of the transgene(s) must be known and expression must not be detrimental to plant health.
  4. The transgene does not result in the production of an “infectious entity” like a virus. The transgene also must not encode for substances known, or likely to be, toxic to non-target organisms likely to feed or live on the plant.
  5. Introduced sequences that are derived from plant viruses must not pose the risk of the creation of new plant viruses.
  6. The plant must not contain certain genetic material derived from an animal or human pathogen.

Source: Slater, Adrian, Nigel W. Scott, and Mark R. Fowler. “Chapter 12: Science and Society: Public Acceptance of Genetically Modified Crops.” Plant Biotechnology: The Genetic Manipulation of Plants. Second ed. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2008. 338-339. Print.

Why is it different in Europe?

Countries that make up the European Union (EU) have been much slower to accept the implementation and commercialization of genetically modified crops compared to the United States.

After an Environmental Risk Assessment (ERA) has been performed the researchers must submit a detailed dossier to the Joint Regulatory Authority (JRA), the Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment (ACRE), and relevant ministers to get approval for a research trial. If approved by these authorities, then the scale of the release of the GM crop can be increased.

To approve marketing releases of a GM crop, the crop approved for research trial must have another dossier written up and submitted to its Member State. If all requirements are met and the potential risks are mentioned as well as all aspects of the research trial, the dossier is forwarded to the European Commission for consideration by the Member States.

A test that has been proven difficult to pass is the farm-scale evaluations. These evaluations of GMOs monitor the growth and risks of cultivating the GM crop on multiple small-scale farms before the implementation into commercial sized fields. This is the step at which many GM crops do not meet approval for various reasons.

Although the United States has implemented many criteria to meet prior to commercialization of GM crops, it seems that the EU has always been more reluctant in allowing widespread cultivation. Eventually population increases may require genetically modified crops to be implemented into European farming but for now it remains on a smaller scale than the United States.

Source: Slater, Adrian, Nigel W. Scott, and Mark R. Fowler. “Chapter 12: Science and Society: Public Acceptance of Genetically Modified Crops.” Plant Biotechnology: The Genetic Manipulation of Plants. Second ed. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2008. 331-338. Print.