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A Straight Dope Classic from Cecil's storehouse of human knowledge
09-Apr-1999
Dear
Cecil:
What's the deal with genetically engineered food? I read that vast quantities of food
crops are being genetically engineered to withstand the effects of herbicides better so
that farmers can dump more herbicides in their fields without worrying about crop loss.
Jeez. Other crops manufacture their own pesticides so they kill bugs having the temerity
to take a bite of them. Doesn't exactly ring my come-to-dinner bell, ya know?
So what are the potential effects of eating genetically engineered food, what could this
ultimately do to the food chain, and why are so many of our food crops being monkeyed
with, with barely a peep from the press? --Lory, via AOL
Dear Lory:
Barely a peep? Inkwise I admit genetic engineering hasn't ranked up there with Leonardo
DiCaprio, but an archive search for the past decade turned up over 500 articles in
everything from Time to the Whole Earth Review. True, the subject hasn't been front-page
news, but that's because little front-page news (e.g., environmental disasters) has
occurred. The concern is over what might.
There are two basic arguments against genetic engineering: the Frankenstein's monster
argument and the "frigging Monsanto" argument. (Monsanto, a big supplier of
engineered seed, has been a lightning rod for criticism, but it's got company.)
The Frankenstein argument--maybe I should call it the Jurassic Park argument--is that
genetic engineers are messing with a process they only dimly understand and by combining
pieces of DNA in unnatural ways they're taking the chance that something will go horribly
wrong. This exaggerates the complexity of what genetic engineers do. Gene splicing is
ingenious, but the result in most cases is that you cause cells to produce, or fail to
produce, a single protein. This is like turning a single bolt in a car. Sure, loosen it
too much and an important part of the car might fall off. But generally it's possible to
anticipate, and make allowances for, the things that might go wrong.
For example, Monsanto makes a genetically engineered soybean seed that's highly resistant
to a weed killer Monsanto conveniently also happens to make. You plant the soybeans and
douse the field with the weed killer, which kills everything but the beans. No tillage to
eliminate weeds, no soil erosion--happy day! But, say the critics, suppose this
weed-killer-resistant soybean cross-pollinates with the weeds; then you'd have
weed-killer-resistant superweeds! Sure, say the scientists, but this is an obvious
problem, easily prevented. (In principle at least. There may be a little problem with
canola, but that's a story for another day.) Similarly, one variety of engineered corn
produces its own pesticide. Will the stuff hurt people too? Obvious problem, obvious
solution: test and find out. Answer: no.
The point isn't that nothing can ever go wrong with genetically engineered crops. But due
to the nature of the process, the risks are usually modest and controllable in relation to
the benefits. Contrast that with the wildly risky agricultural practices of the past, in
which entire organisms, not just genes, were transplanted into foreign habitats--e.g.,
kudzu, which was introduced to the southeastern U.S. from Japan and spread rapidly,
covering trees and denying them sunlight. Those were the real environmental fiascoes.
That brings us to the frigging-Monsanto argument. Genetically engineered seed is developed
and sold by huge corporations whose first concern is their own profit. Monsanto's seed,
after all, is designed for use with Monsanto's herbicide. Plus you're locked into the
whole capital-intensive, high-input agribusiness rat race. Frigging Monsanto! But the
culprit is industrial capitalism, not genetic engineering per se.
Still, the big-business aspect of genetic engineering does give one pause. Consider the
crop you mentioned that makes its own pesticide. The toxin is the same one produced by a
naturally occurring organism called Bt, which organic farmers use to control bugs. If, due
to genetic engineering, the toxin is found in every leaf and branch of a crop,
Bt-resistant pests may soon evolve. The big agribusiness companies will move on to some
other pesticide, but organic farmers will be screwed. I'm not worried about genetic
engineering in itself but rather the ends to which it'll be put.
--CECIL ADAMS
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