Salvador Jimenez

Argument Sketch
Professor Karin Evans
English 1101-092
November 18, 2015
Purpose: The purpose of my argument essay is to help the American
consumers understand what GMOs are and what risks they can pose
to our health. The intended audience is supposed to be an average
American consumer, more specifically consumers who arent well
informed about GMOs.
GMOs? More like OMG
Monsanto is the leading producer of genetically engineered
crops, and they claim that genetically modified crops are safe for
consumption. This begs the question: if GMOs are as safe as Monsanto
claims, why would they spend over $30 million just to prevent GMOs
from being labeled? The people who spray our food with pesticides
have to be dressed like CDC agents who are quarantining a building. If
genetically modified crops are meant to withstand these harsh
chemicals, how safe can they really be? American consumers should
take into account that genetically modified organisms are different
from organically grown food and that genetically engineered crops
have not been monitored long enough to be considered safe to
consume.
What exactly are GMOs to begin with? GMOs or genetically
modified organisms are organisms whose genetic material has
been artificially manipulated in a laboratory through genetic
engineering. This relatively new science creates unstable combinations

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of plant, animal, bacteria and viral genes that do not occur in nature or
through traditional crossbreeding methods (Non GMO). This shows how
genetically engineering is moderately fresh and for the mean time it
should be banned until it has been proven that they do not pose a
threat to our health.

According to the Huffington Post, Monsantos genetically

modified corn was linked to organ failure. In a study released by the
International Journal of Biological Sciences, analyzing the effects of
genetically modified foods on mammalian health, researchers found
that agricultural giant Monsanto's GM corn is linked to organ damage in
rats. (Goldstein). This is exactly the sort of research that proves that
genetically modified food could be potentially dangerous to our health.
For the conclusion of the experiment, researchers wrote: "Effects were
mostly concentrated in kidney and liver function, the two major diet
detoxification organs, but in detail differed with each GM type. In
addition, some effects on heart, adrenal, spleen and blood cells were
also frequently noted. As there normally exists sex differences in liver
and kidney metabolism, the highly statistically significant disturbances
in the function of these organs, seen between male and female rats,
cannot be dismissed as biologically insignificant as has been proposed
by others. We therefore conclude that our data strongly suggests that
these GM maize varieties induce a state of hepatorenal toxicity....These

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substances have never before been an integral part of the human or
animal diet and therefore their health consequences for those who
consume them, especially over long time periods are currently
unknown" (Goldstein). This comes to show that genetically modifying
our food is too new of a concept to be condemned safe to eat.
According to an article published by the Chronicle of higher
education, they state that animals kept in a confined farm while being
fed genetically modified diets were living in very unclean conditions
and had a lot of major health issues. "Calves are born too weak to
walk, with enlarged joints and limb deformities. Piglets experience
rapidly deteriorating health, a 'failure to thrive' so severe that they
start breaking down their own tissues and organs--self-cannibalizing--to
survive" (Caplan). This isnt the only example of animals behaving like
this due to genetically modified diets. In the movie Food Inc., they said
that Chickens are being raised in half the time they were in 1950s (49
days vs. 3 months), but even in half the time they are ending up twice
as big due to their genetically modified diets. Also just like the cows,
chickens grow from a baby chic to a 5.5-pound chicken in 7 weeks.
Theyre growing so big in a short amount of time that the bones cant
keep up with growth, which means some cant handle weight that they
are carrying so when they try to take a few steps they fall down.
Unfortunately for the farmers who have to run these sorts of things,
they have no other way out. In Food Inc. a farmer was saying that they

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are extremely underpaid compared to how much debt they are in
(about $20,000 a year vs. over $100,000).
There are two kinds of GM crops that dominate the marketplace:
Crops that resist broad-spectrum (kill-all) herbicides such as Roundup
(GM Crops). These are claimed to enable farmers to spray herbicide
less frequently to kill weeds but without killing the crop. The second
ones are crops that produce the insecticide Bt toxin (GM Crops). These
are claimed to reduce farmers need for chemical insecticide sprays.
All of these chemicals are toxic and a threat to both the farmers who
apply them and the people and livestock that eat the produce. This is
the case even for Roundup, which has been shown to have a range of
damaging cellular effects indicating toxicity at levels similar to those
found on crops engineered to be resistant to the herbicide (GM Crops).
According to the GM Crops article, there was a study conducted in
Canada that showed that just after 4-5 years of using these chemicals,
the weeds became resistant up to three different broad-spectrum
herbicides, which became a dilemma for the farmers.
In conclusion, it seems like GMOs do not bring many significant
benefits. It appears that they present risks to human and animal
health, and the environment. Consumers should start to notice more of
what is going on with their food and what risks GMOs could bring to
them. We, as consumers should start looking for alternatives to GMOs
before it may become too late.

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Works Cited
Non GMO Project. Non GMO Project, 2005. Web.
Goldstein, Katherine. "Monsanto's GMO Corn Linked To Organ Failure,
Study Reveals." <i>The Huffington Post</i>.
TheHuffingtonPost.com, 18 Mar. 2010. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.
CAPLAN, ARTHUR L. "Genetically Modified Food: GOOD, BAD, UGLY."
Chronicle Of Higher Education 60.2 (2013): B4-B5. Academic Search
Complete. Web. 9 Nov. 2015.
GM Crops Just the science research documenting the limitations, risks and
alternatives NonGMOproject.org. 2009.
Food, Inc. Dir. Eric Schlosser and Michael Pollan. Magnolia Pictures. 2009.